One Chance
by KinzyKaiba
Summary: Adeline Walsh is the younger sister of Shane, and has the attitude to prove it. She is hard and tough and can hang with the best of them. But what happens to her when the world goes to hell and she has to learn a new type of survival and deal with things she never thought she would have to?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hey guys! This is my first Walking Dead fic, so please give it a chance. It is currently undergoing some editing in the early chapters to correct some dialogue and typos, so please be patient. All feedback is welcomed and encouraged!_

The hot Georgia sun was beating down on me, causing even more sweat to roll off my forehead. I groaned as I flopped down on a lawn chair next to my older brother. Shane was all I've ever had in the world, but since the world had gone to hell, he means even more to me.

"'Sup Addie?" he asked, calling me by the pet name he's had for me since we were kids. I glared at him but his look of amusement made me laugh.

"Nothing, I just wish they would hurry up and get back. I feel exposed not having everyone here," I said. Half of our group was on a scouting mission in the city and we hadn't heard from them lately and with walkers crawling all over the place, I felt better when all of out manpower was together.

"I know, I'm worried. But you know we will be fine. I won't let anything happen to you Adeline," he said looking at me. I nodded and tuned in to the activities going on around camp. Dale, an elderly grandfatherly man, was sitting on top of his RV keeping watch. Lori, Amy, Jaqui, and Carol were washing clothes by the river, chatting. Carl and Sophia and the Morales children were all playing in the shade of a large tree, laughing. Daryl was absent at the moment, on a hunting trip in the woods that surrounded our camp and everyone else was in Atlanta. All of a sudden, there was a high-pitched wailing sound similar to a car alarm getting closer to us by the second. We all jumped up, Dale, Shane, and me with guns in tow.

"Talk to me Dale!" Shane called up as Dale grabbed his binoculars to look out at the winding road that led up to their camp in the quarry. I stopped listening to their chatter as I climbed up next to Dale and saw a red sports car flying towards us with its alarm wailing. It pulled at the camp a few seconds later and Glenn jumped out.

"Turn that thing off!" Shane yelled and there was a mass of yelling as Amy was questioning Glenn about her sister, Andrea and Shane was yelling at him to pop the hood of the car. Once he did, Shane ripped out a plug and the alarm stopped.

"Where are they? Are they okay?" Amy asked frantically.

"They're all fine, well except for Merle," Glenn said but none of us had time to register that statement.

"What were you thinking?" Shane asked him, his face red with anger.

"An alarm like that bouncing off these mountains, kind of hard to tell where it came from," Dale said and Shane shot him a look, but a truck pulling up made us fall quiet. Our people climbed out one by one and hugged their families.

"We thought we'd lost you kids this time," Dale said, hugging everyone.

"Yeah, how did you get out?" someone asked, but I didn't notice who because I saw someone else in the truck and was trying to figure out who.

"Hey helicopter guy, get our here and met everyone!" Mr. Morales called and the figure climbed out. My jaw hit the ground when Rick Grimes stepped out of that truck and looked at us. Rick was Shane's best friend, they had been cops together, until Rick got shot and went into a coma right before the world ended. Shane had gone to get him, but he told his wife Lori, and son Carl that he was dead. Yet, here he was. He saw Lori and Carl and Carl ran to him. I glanced at Shane who looked just as shocked as the rest of us, but I wasn't sure what to believe right then.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: The story starts off slow while I'm trying to develop the different relationships but please stick with it. The next couple of chapters things will pick up, I promise. Thank you for the reviews, please keep them coming to let me know what you think or what you would like to happen. And to answer a question, I am toying with the idea of pairing her with another character but I haven't decided for sure: leave your opinions in a review. Without further adieu, chapter two!

"Rick!" Lori called as she walked over to her husband and they hugged each other tightly, crying. I looked over at my brother who was staring at the scene playing out before him in shock. Only I saw the pain on his face, because I was the only one who knew about him and Lori. I turned away from the joyous reunion and stomped off to my tent. I didn't exit until dusk had fallen and I could smell the stew cooking over the open fires.

"I thought I was in some coma dream that I would never wake up from," Rick said, riveting the group with his story of waking up to find the world as he knew it gone and going through hell to find his family. I rolled my eyes and focused on eating.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear that his brother got left behind," Dale asked, bringing my attention back to the campfire.

"I'll tell him I dropped the key, it's on me," T-Dog said. We'd all been told the story now. Rick had handcuffed Merle to the roof after he had gone crazy and endangered the group, and T-Dog dropped the key down the drain as they were making their escape.

"I cuffed him, that makes it mine," Rick said, wrapping his arm around Lori.

"Guys, this isn't a competition. And I don't mean to bring race into it, but it might sound better coming from a white guy," Glenn, a small Asian boy in the group said. I snorted quietly. Everyone in the group thought that because Merle and Daryl Dixon were rednecks that they were stupid, unreasonable, and racist. Sure, Merle may be those things, but Daryl was much better than his older brother. Still, it would be interesting.

"I did what I did. Hell if I'm going to hide from him," T-Dog continued.

"We could lie," Amy, Andrea's younger sister said.

"Or tell the truth. Merle was out of control. Something had to be done of we'd of all been killed. You're husband did what was necessary and if Merle got left behind, it's no one's fault but Merle's," the older sister said.

"And that's what we tell Daryl? I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that. Do you? Word to the wise, we are going to have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt," Dale continued. Everyone fell quiet for a moment before T-Dog spoke up again.

"I was scared and I ran, I'm not ashamed of that."

"We were all scared, we all ran. What's your point?" Andrea spoke up immediately.

"I stopped long enough to chain that door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. That's not enough to break that chain, not that padlock. My point, Dixon's alive and still handcuffed on that roof, and that's on us." He finished before getting up to go to his tent.

Everyone sat in silence after that, finishing their meals and heading off to sleep.

"I'll take first watch," Shane told me, looking after Rick and Lori walking into their tent.

"You sure? I don't mind if you want to get some rest," I said, though I knew the answer.

"I'm good. I'll come wake you when I need a break," he said and walked over and climbed on the top of the RV. He sat down on the lawnchair, put his baseball cap on and stared out at the tree line. I looked at the pain on my big brother's face, sent him my love, and went to my tent to rest.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Things will really start picking up after this chapter, now that all the boring preliminary is out of the way. I do want to hear from you all as to what you would like to see in this story, I am open to suggestions. I think I have made up my mind about the pairing situation, but can be swayed. Just leave your opinions/comments in a review! Thanks for reading. Now, chapter three.

Morning came with me on top of the RV, watching over things for Shane to go get some water from the quarry. Lori and Carol were hanging clothes out to dry and Rick came crawling out of the tent. He went over to Lori and they were talking in hushed voices. I saw Shane's jeep pulling up and jumped down to help him pull out the jugs of water.

"Just a reminder to boil before use!" he called as everyone went to taking jugs away for their personal uses. There was a scream from the woods and everyone jumped, springing into action. I grabbed my handgun and heard Carl crying for his mom which made my legs run faster. Carl and Sophia met us just a little ways into the woods and the women stopped to tend to them while the men and I kept running. We came into a small clearing where a walker was leaning over a deer, eating his insides. I turned my head for a split second in revulsion. Everyone had grabbed assorted weapon that wouldn't cause a noise that could cause more to be attracted to the camp. The walker looked up and started coming for us and we sprang into action, beating him with bats, pitchforks, and fire pokers. Finally, Dale brought an ax down and his head came off.

There was a rustling in the brush and we all turned our attention to it. Then, Daryl came into view, crossbow slung over his shoulder.

"Son of a bitch. That's my deer! Look at it! All knawed up on by this," Daryl went into a tantrum of kicking the headless body and calling it names. He pulled the three arrows out of the deer once he was done.

"Calm down son, that's not helping," Dale said and I knew he'd made a mistake. Sure enough, Daryl got up in his face.

"What you know 'bout it old man? Why 'on't you take that stupid hat and 'on back on "On Golden Pond"? I been trackin' this deer fer miles! Gonna drag it back to camp an' cook us up some Venison. You think we can cut around this chewed up part?" he asked, looking up at all of us.

"We can't risk that," Shane said, rifle in his arms.

"That's a damn shame. I got some squirrels, about a dozen or so. That'll hav to do," he said and turned back towards camp. Before he got far, the disembodied head's eyes popped open and its teeth started chomping.

"What de hell people?" he asked, firing an arrow into the eye, making it go still. "'s gotta be de brain. Don' y'all know nothing?" he said and walked out of the woods back towards camp. I shared a look with Shane, this was not going to be easy.

By the time Shane and I made it back to camp, bringing up the rear of the group, Daryl was calling for Merle to come help him cook up the squirrels. No one made a move to speak. Of course, they could all talk a big game around the fire last night, but actually faced with the task and none of them had the balls to speak up.

"Daryl, just slow down a minute, I need to talk to you," it was Shane who finally shouldered the responsibility.

"'bout what?" Daryl asked.

"About Merle."

"He dead?"

"We're not sure," Shane continued after a moment of pause.

"He either is or he a'int!" Daryl exclaimed, advancing towards Shane. I tensed and stepped up, but Rick spoke up before anything happened.

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it," he said.

"Who ere you?"

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes. You got somethin' you wanna tell me?" Daryl's face was red now and I knew it was only a matter of time before the situation got out of hand.

"You're brother was a danger to us all. So I handcuffed him to the roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

Daryl started pacing in a small circle, breathing heavily. It was almost a full minute before he spoke again. "Hol' on. Lemme process dis. Yer sayin' you handuffed my brother to a roof, an' you left em there?"

"Yeah." Quick as a flash, Daryl's duffel bag flew over Rick's head, hitting me square in the chest and knock me over. He lunged at Rick, and I have no doubt in my mind that he would have killed him if Shane hadn't jumped in and tackled him. Once he was on the ground, Daryl pulled out his hunting knife and jumped up and went at Rick again. I was back on my feet by now but Shane told me to stay back. He was able to catch Daryl in a chokehold and Rick knelt in front of him.

"I would like to have a rational conversation, you think you can handle that?" Rick asked. After a couple more moments and seeing Shane wasn't going to let up, Daryl nodded and Shane let him go.

"What I did was not on a whim. Your brother doesn't work or play well with others," Rick said and I wondered if he realized he was adding fuel to the fire.

"It wasn't Rick's fault. I had the key, and I dropped it," T-Dog said, dropping the lumber he had gathered for firewood.

"You couldn' pick it up?" Daryl asked and I laughed.

"I dropped it down a drain."

The redneck dropped his head and looked at the ground, still breathing hard. I felt for him. I glanced at Shane, who still stood tensed. I couldn't imagine loosing him, he was all the family I had. While I had been tuned in to my thoughts, T-Dog had told Daryl about chaining the door.

"Hell wid all y'all! Jus' tell me where 'e is so's I can go get em," he called out, pacing again.

"He'll show you. Isn't that right?" Lori said from where she was sitting on the RV steps.

"I'm going back," Rick said and Lori turned away disgusted, and walked into the RV. Rick headed back to his tent and Shane followed him, whispering quietly. They came back a few minutes later, with Rick telling Shane he couldn't leave Merle up there to die.

"So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Lori asked him and Rick looked at Glenn.

"No," Glenn whined but Rick reminded him that he knew the way better than anyone else.

"So now you're going to risk three men?" Shane asked, looking irate.

"Four" T-Dog said.

"Make that five," I replied and Shane looked at me intensely.

"No way Addie, I need you here. If Rick want to go on a suicide mission with half of our camp, that's him, but I need someone here I can count on," he said, stepping towards me.

"Shane, you just said you can count on me, well why not count one me to get these idiots in and out safely and quickly?" I retorted and Shane shook his head.

"I don't like it. You're putting all of us at risk. Y'all saw that walker today! It was in camp! We need every able bodied person here!" he yelled.

"Seems like you could use more guns. I dropped a bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed full of guns and ammo, it's just laying there waiting for someone to pick it up," Rick said, and that got Shane's attention.

"Fine," Shane said, but now Lori was jumping all over Rick and he went to talk to her and Carl.

"Come here," Shane told me and we walked over to the RV. "Listen, I don't like you going, but you're right, I can trust you. I need you to get in and out and get back here, okay? Here, this one's better than yours, it's full of ammo but that's all I have," he said, handing me his handgun and taking mine. "Be careful lil' sister." He gave me a hug and I nodded to him.

I walked back to my tent and gathered a few essentials and shoved them into my duffel bag.

"Why ere you doin' this?" Daryl asked me once I was standing beside the truck.

"Because, I would want someone to do it for me if it was my brother," I told him and climbed in, casting one last look at Shane, praying we'd all make it back okay.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: WOW! The new episode was amazing last night, and I already have plans on how that will affect this story! Anyway, here is chapter four. Please read and review. I still want to hear your thoughts on pairing and any other suggestions/comments are welcome and appreciated_!

"We walk from here," Glenn said as our truck pulled up a few blocks away from the department store where the group had been trapped. We grabbed our meager supplies and weapons and climbed out of the truck.

We walked down a set of railroad tracks to a fence that led to the street the department store was on.

"Merle first or the guns?" Rick asked. I gaped at him, was he serious?

"Merle. We a'int even havin' dis conversation," Daryl bellowed, looking at Rick with the same bewilderment that I wore.

"Yes, we are. You know the geography best, it's your call," he dismissed Daryl and addressed Glenn who looked shocked to be called upon.

"Merle's closer. The guns would mean doubling back," the small Asian said and Rick nodded.

We jogged three blocks to the store and took in the sight. The doors had been broken in, just like the group told us. I glanced up to the roof but couldn't see anything. We walked in and immediately took note of a walker in the back of the store. She turned and headed towards us. None of us wanted to fire a gun in the city, it would draw every walker for miles.

"Damn, you ere one ugly skank," Daryl said before firing his crossbow and nailing her right in the eye. We looked at each other but the redneck kept right on going, heading up the stairs to the roof. There were no walkers to be seen and the padlock was securely in place. T-Dog came forward with the bolt cutters and cut the chain to the roof. Daryl kicked the door in and stepped into the blinding Georgia sun.

"Merle! Merle!" he called. I was the last one on the roof and it took my eyes a minute to adjust.

"No! No!" Daryl was screaming and I followed his line of sight to a severed hand lying a few feet away from the handcuffs in a puddle of blood. I gasped and missed the beginning of the scene before me. Daryl took aim at T-Dog with his crossbow, anger and grief written on his face. Rick took his gun out and put it to Daryl's head.

"I won't hesitate, I don't care if every walker in the city hears it," he said and Daryl paused for a minute. I considered pulling my gun on Rick, but thought better of it. He dropped the crossbow and everyone relaxed.

"You got a do-rag or somethin'?" Daryl asked T-dog and he handed him one. Daryl knelt in front of the hand and picked it up.

"The saw blade musta been too dull for da cuffs," he said and wrapped the hand up in the rag. He gestured for Glenn to come closer and when he did, Daryl put the hand in his backpack, making Glenn tense.

"Look, he couldn't have gotten far with that injury. We can group up and organize a search, but we have to stay calm," Rick said, trying to calm him down.

"I can do dat," the redneck said, relaxing.

We walked back down to the main floor of the department store and Glenn pulled a marker out of his bag and drew a map of the surrounding area on the floor. He used various items to represent us and made a plan.

"This is a dumb idea," Rick said.

"Yeah, ev'n I think dis is a bad idear, an' I don' even like you much," Daryl said.

"No, this is a good idea. Adeline and I are small and quick, we can dash into the street and grab the bag. Adeline can cover me. Daryl will wait here and cover us from the alley while you and T-Dog wait here, two blocks away in case the walkers cut us off," we all stared at the drawing, looking at each other.

"Hey, kid, whad you do 'fore all dis?" Daryl asked, voicing what most of us had been thinking.

"Delivered pizzas. Why?" We shook our heads and got up, heading towards our destinations. Daryl, Glenn, and I walked right outside the department store via a door that led into an alley. Walkers littered the street, meandering in every direction with no purpose or reason. A chill ran down my spine looking at them.

"You got dis?" Daryl asked looking at us and we both nodded. I pulled the gun out, flipped the safety off, and carefully put it in my waistband. I pulled my knife out of my pocket as well, hoping it would be enough to defend me and I wouldn't have to fire the gun.

Glenn and I dashed into the street, heading towards a pile of burlap sacks containing abandoned construction materials for cover. Before we got there, the walkers had taken note of our presence and were heading towards us. We jogged up the street, fairly uneventfully, although my heart was racing way too fast. Glenn grabbed the bag and we ran around for a couple of seconds before silently agreeing to head back towards Daryl. I heard yelling, but it didn't sound like any of our people. When we got back to Daryl in the alley, he was being jumped on by two guys, beating him with bats. They turned around and saw us.

"That's it, that's the bag!" One of the guys screamed and ran towards us. Glenn and I turned to run, but I was grabbed around the waist by large, meaty hands, before I got very far. I yelled and kicked at him but my knife had cluttered to the ground. I was outmatched and the guy yanked my gun and threw it down.

"Daryl!" I yelled as Glenn and I were being carted towards a waiting car, walkers all around, drawn by the noise of our struggle. An arrow shot through the air and hit the guy holding me in the ass, but I didn't have a chance to flee before the driver of the car yanked me in by my hair. Glenn was thrown in beside me and the car pulled away from the curb. As I looked out the window frantically I saw Daryl clenched onto the fence, yelling, but he couldn't come after us because walkers had surrounded it.

I looked at the boy beside me and he looked terrified.

"What do you want, where are you taking us?" I cried, my voice an octave too high because of the panic.

"Shut up, we a'int tellin' you nothin'," the driver said and sped up.

"G is going to have a field day with her, she's pretty cute, and feisty," the guy Daryl shot with an arrow said, looking me up and down. I shivered and crossed my arms over my chest, deciding to keep quiet and not let my imagination wander.

Just a few minutes later, the car stopped and we were pulled out of the car and stared up at a large brick building with guards all around, staring at us intently. We were led inside and there was some yelling in Spanish before a small Latino man stepped up.

"Well, well, well, fresh meat," his lips curved in an evil smile and Glenn and I looked at each other, wondering how we would ever get out of this mess.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Think you guys for all the favorites and follows! It means a lot to me knowing that people are interested and actually reading the story. I would still like to hear your opinions in a review. All feedback is appreciated and I am totally open to suggestions. The 'first season' of the story is slow, but if you hang around until Hershel's farm, things are going to get intense! It's a promise!_

_ ~A.S.D_

I tensed as the man, referred to as 'G', looked at us with an icy glare.

"Where are my guns?" He asked us.

"Your guns?" I asked sarcastically. My brain kicked in saying I may want to choose my words more carefully, but Shane had always taught me to speak my mind.

"That's right, my guns. I sent my boys here out to get them, but instead they come back with you two, so where are they."

"With the rest of our group. Who will be here any minute, and I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when they do," I spat, standing tall in front of the enemy. He laughed and Glenn looked at me, wide eyed.

"Adeline, ix-nay on the insult-ay," he said under his breath but I rolled my eyes.

"Take them to the back and wait on my decision on what to do," he said and we were pulled towards a back room. The room was small and dark and we were shoved into chairs and tied down, then left alone.

"What are we going to do?" Glenn asked frantically.

"Nothing. Rick and Daryl will be here soon, we wait. We can't do anything by ourselves, we have no weapons and are way outnumbered," I hated admitting weakness, but we had no other choice. The guys would be here soon, they had one of their guys so they could get the information out of him. They had the guns and hopefully a good plan.

We sat in silence after that, fiddling with the restraints, hoping to find a weak spot. After a while, there was a commotion from the front room and a lot of yelling. I tensed as the door flew open and three big guys walked in. They all had the same tan skin as G with buzzed hair. They were talking steadily as one of them went to each of us and untied us. Then, they grabbed us roughly and started leading us down a hallway. A blindfold was tied around my eyes and, before I could scream, a gag was put into my mouth. I coughed and gagged but a hit in the back sent me forward. The hand guiding me led me to a staircase and told me to watch my step. I tried to imagine each step and made it up without tripping. Another door creaked open and I felt a gust of hot Georgian wind blow in my face. My heart was racing and I stopped walking on my own, forcing the guy to push me but he soon grew tired of the effort and lifted me. I kicked at him but nothing happened. I was set on my feet again and I listened to the noise going on down below.

"You have our men and we have yours, seems like an even trade," It was definitely Rick's voice and a wave of relief washed over me. The guys on the roof started talking so I wasn't able to hear the next part of the exchange, but I did hear a whistle. Once it pierced the air, I was shoved forward and the blindfold was yanked off. I was on the edge of a two or three story roof. I felt my eyes grow wide as I looked around. Glenn was a few feet away from me, also panicking. Rick and Daryl looked up at us and a glance to my right revealed T-Dog poised on another section of roof with a rifle pointed at G's head.

I was dragged back a couple feet and re-blindfolded. I struggled against the man holding me but I knew it was in vain. My own pounding heart and internal fear kept me from listening to what else Rick had to say but when I heard him call to T-Dog that they were leaving, I felt sick. I was led back inside and I heard noise. It sounded like a lot of people chatting and I was pushed into a room.

"You both can stay here for now. Sorry we had to do this, but you had to look scared when your pals came around. The blindfold was taken off and the gag removed and I looked around. We were in some sort of hospital room. There were beds and other medical machines around the room and a group of elderly people was looking at us. Glenn and I exchanged a confused glance before they began chatting our ears off. Within a few minutes, we understood. This was an old nursing home that G and his crew protected to make sure the patients were okay. The old people were nice and had us laughing in no time.

What seemed like hours later, the door opened again and Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog came in. They looked surprised and confused.

"Man, we thought you were being eaten by dogs!" Daryl yelled and I laughed.

"Come on, you need to see this," I said and Glenn and I led them around, explaining it to them as well.

"Take care of this place man," I heard Rick whispering to G as he handed him a couple of guns and a box of bullets from the bag.

We headed out after that and started walking back to where we had parked the truck.

"Where is our van?" Glenn cried as we looked at the empty spot where the truck should be.

"Who would have taken it?" Rick asked, looking around wildly. The sun was just starting to make its decent in the sky and none of us wanted to be stuck in the city after dark.

"Merle." It was Daryl who spoke and we all looked at him, not sure what to think.

"We have to get back, we don't have time to worry about this now!" I cried and started walking down the road in the direction of camp.

"Wait up girl," Daryl said and jogged up beside me. He handed me my gun and I nodded my thanks. Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog caught up to us and we hustled back to the outskirts of town. We walked mostly in silence and the sun had almost completely set before we made it to the path that led up the mountainside to camp.

"Damn," I whispered, wishing the sun would stay up. It was much harder to see at night and with the walker in camp this morning, I didn't want to walk up the woodsy path blind.

By the time we were right at the edge of the camp, it was completely dark outside, and I drew my gun. We heard a scream then, followed by several more. I didn't wait for Rick's confirmation, I took off running at full speed, hearing footfalls close behind me. The sight before me made me freeze. There were walkers everywhere, and the first thing I saw was Amy crumbling to the ground with a walkers taking out her throat.

I didn't waste time, I sprang forward and started firing at the walkers, having reloaded my gun after retriving the bag.

"Shane!" I yelled as I ran, trying to find my brother in the chaos.

"Addie!" I heard him call back and found him near the RV with Lori and Carl crouched behind him. I ran to his side and kept firing at the walkers that seemed to keep coming. In the thick of things, I felt a splatter across my neck and swerved around quickly to see Daryl standing with his crossbow and a walker with a bolt in his head at my feet. My eyes were wide and I nodded to Daryl and he returned the gesture. The fighting slowed, then stopped completely as all the walkers were dead, but all I could think about was how Daryl Dixon had just saved my life.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I've been home sick all day, so you will probably receive another chapter later on tonight since I've had extra time. So here it is, please read and review. I anxiously await to hear what you have to say!_

_ ~A.S.D_

The night was spent consoling loved ones and making sure all of the walkers were dead. Andrea had not moved from her spot beside Amy, and we all knew it was only a matter of time before she turned. When the sun came up, the reality of what happened the previous night really sank in. Dead bodies littered our camp and we had lost a lot of people.

"Okay, we need to burn the bodies of the walkers, we can put them in a pile over here and we will bury our people later, but make sure they aren't going to come back," Shane spoke and we all agreed. I grabbed a pick-ax from the pile of tools and started out with a heavy sigh. I had shed my t-shirt and was wearing a black tank top, jeans, and boots. I pulled my hair up and set out. I walked to the RV, deciding to clear out that area first since people needed to access it. I walked passed Amy and Andrea, not wanting to disturb her mourning.

I looked at the walker, the ugly creature, and put the ax through its brain. Blood splashed all over but I hit him once more for good measure and moved on to the next one. The process continued until I had made my way around the RV. Then I went back to the first one and started dragging him to a pile that had been started at the edge of our camp. It was slow going, the body being really heavy, but I made my progress. When I was about half way there, another set of hands grabbed the body and helped me carry it. I looked up to see the ice blue eyes of Daryl.

"Thanks," I said, welcoming the relief of dragging the walker.

"No problem," he replied and we carried on in silence for a moment.

"And…thanks for last night too. That was a close one," I said. For some reason, I couldn't get that image out of my head, I guess because I had almost died. He nodded and I knew that was all the answer I would get, he definitely wasn't one for words.

Around noon, all of the work was done with the walkers and they were burning in a pile that billowed up into the sky. We were sitting around, taking a break before going to bury our dead when we heard Jaqui yell.

"He's been bit! A walker got him!" she yelled, pointing at Jim, a quiet man who had been with the group for most of the journey. We all ran over to them, weapons poised but Rick gestured for us to lower them.

"Show us," Rick told him but he kept insisting that he was fine so T-Dog snuck up behind him and grabbed him. Shane lifted up his shirt and there was a definitive bite mark on his stomach.

We all looked away, sad and angry. Rick, Shane, Daryl, Dale, and I walked over to talk about what to do.

"Put an ax through his head, and the dead girl's too," Daryl said, referring to Amy who Andrea still wouldn't allow anyone to mess with.

"Is that what you would want if it were you?" Shane asked him.

"Yeah, an' I'd thank yah while yah did it," he said and I was inclined to agree. I wouldn't want to become one of those creatures, so I would definitely want someone to kill me.

"I agree," I said and Shane looked at me. "I do. Jim is going to turn, and when he does he'll come after us and those we care about. Let's just put him out of his misery now. As for Amy, let Andrea grieve, but we can't put everyone in danger because she lost her sister."

"As much as I hate to say this, and I never thought I would, I agree with Daryl and Adeline," Dale said and I rolled my eyes at the insult.

"Jim's not a monster, Dale, or a rabid dog, he's sick,"

"If we start down that road, where do we draw the line?" Dale asked.

"The line is pretty clear, zero tolerance fer walkers," Daryl said, angered by the implication.

"I heard the CDC was working on a cure, what if we can get him help?" Rick asked us, and I could tell he was grasping at straws, but let him. Daryl, however, did not share my feelings. He ran towards where Jim was sitting, the pick-ax raised above his head. Rick ran after him and pointed a gun to his head (again) and told him to drop it.

"We don't kill the living!" he yelled and Daryl grudgingly dropped the ax and Rick led Jim away.

I went back to cleaning up the camp, some supplies scattered after last night's attack. After a minute or so though, I looked over to where the sisters sat and saw Amy's lifeless body begin to move.

"Shane!" I called and he looked too, seeing her begin to twitch and open her eyes. Andrea smiled at her and was talking to her, while Amy was trying to rip her throat out. I put a hand on my gun, but waited. A shot went off and Amy collapsed again, Andrea crying over her with a gun in her hands…

We went out a ways to the roadside to burry our people. Andrea dragged Amy into the shallow grave last and we stood, wondering what we would do now.

We didn't have to wait long, though.

"We're going to the CDC," Rick told us and I looked around at all of the frightened faces. Shane explained the CB stations to everyone so we could communicate if needed.

"We're not going with you," Morales spoke and we all looked at him.

"We have family in Birmingham and want to be with them," his wife continued.

"You won't have protection, no one to watch your back," Shane told them. We had lost enough people in the attack, we didn't need more leaving.

"We'll be fine," he confirmed and Lori and Carl and Sophia hugged them goodbye before they climbed in their car to leave.

"Everyone else, let's head out," Rick said and we loaded everything into the RV and other cars. Daryl put Merle's motorcycle on the back of his pickup and I climbed in Shane's jeep with him. Dale pulled the RV out first and Shane and I brought up the rear, wondering what new adventure awaited us in the city…


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: This chapter is a little slow...some sibling bonding going on, but more of a filler chapter than anything else. A continued thanks to everyone for reading, following, favorites, and most importantly reviewing! The next chapter is going to be a lot of fun...hope you are excited to see what I've cooked up! XD_

_ ~A.S.D_

The RV stopped after only a couple minutes on the road. We all climbed out to see what was going on.

"It's that damn radiator hose. I needed the one from that tuck, the only thing holding this one together is duct tape, and I'm out of it," Dale said, looking in the RV.

"Guys, Jim's bad. I don't think he can take it much longer," Jaqui said running out of the RV. Rick had told Jim we were going to the CDC and that there may be a cure, so here he was, along for the ride, despite my many complaints.

Rick walked in to check on him and I sat on the roof of Shane's jeep, waiting.

"Hey," Shane said and walked over to me.

"What?" I asked and scooted over so he could join me.

"There's something up ahead, maybe a gas station. Wanna ride up and see what we can find?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I was suspicious since Shane always wanted to keep me on the sidelines.

"Sure," I said, not going to let this opportunity go to waste.

I hopped down and jumped in the passenger seat, but he tossed me the keys and I caught them easily.

"Wanna drive?" He asked, and I was definitely thinking it was too good to be true, but shrugged and scooted over to the driver's seat and cranked it up. Shane never let anyone drive his jeep, so this was strange behavior. I pulled off from the group and headed to the spec in the distance.

"So, what's up?" I asked him, glancing at him in my peripheral vision.

"Was it that obvious?" He asked, laughing.

"Um, yeah. Try being subtle next time. Now really, what's going on?"

"A lot, actually. I just wanted to talk to you about how you feel about Rick being back," he said and I arched an eyebrow.

"I don't really care. I mean, I know he's your friend, but I never did like him much. How about you? I know it must be hard. Have you even spoken to Lori?" I asked as we pulled up at the small gas station. I pulled my gun out and so did Shane. The place seemed to be empty, but you couldn't be too careful these days. We cleared the store quickly.

"She won't talk to me, she thinks I lied about Rick being dead," he said and I gave him a strange look. Obviously Rick wasn't dead.

"I mean, she thinks I did it intentionally. I didn't hear a heartbeat Addie, he was gone."

"There are a million explanations. She can't blame you. You kept her and her kid alive, more than she can say about him. But, I never liked her either," I said with a shrug. Shane went about the mechanic section of the station, finding a hose he hoped would work and a roll of duct tape in case it didn't. We had brought gas cans and filled them up, though that wasn't much.

"You don't like anybody, Addie, my little loner. Lori had a right to be upset, Rick could have died, and it would have been my fault for not getting him out of that hospital," he cast his eyes down and rubbed his forehead.

"No, you did what you could. You got Lori and Carl out of there and kept them safe. No one is blaming you for anything. You've done right by this group and we all owe you our lives," I said emphatically, I refused to let Lori make him feel guilty when he had done nothing wrong.

"I seem to recall having some help," he said with a smile, making my own smile come out as we climbed in the jeep again.

"Well, I try," I said and drove back to where everyone was waiting on the side of the road.

"Here ya go Dale," Shane said taking the things over to him and they set out to start working.

I walked over to where Daryl was sitting on the side of the road under the shade of a tree. I pulled the pack of cigarettes I had gotten from the store out of my pocket and flicked them to him. He caught them one handed and looked at me as I plopped down beside him.

"'s this for?" he asked.

I shrugged in response and he pulled one out of the pack and offered me one silently. I refused and he put the pack in his shirt pocket and lit one up. I saw Rick come out of the RV and I got up, brushed my pants off and walked over to see what happened with Jim. Daryl followed me and we made it over before Rick started speaking.

"He says he wants us to leave him here," he said and I was surprised. I never pegged Jim to be a quitter, but I couldn't say I blamed him.

"Back in camp, when I said I agreed with Daryl and Adeline, and you shot me down, I wasn't suggesting… I'd never go along with callously killing a man, I was just going to suggest we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have our answer," Dale said and we all sat in silence for a second.

"So we just leave him? I don't know if I could live with that," Shane said.

"It's not your call. Either of yours," Lori said and I sent her a glare. She seemed taken aback by the iciness in my stare but didn't say anything.

Rick looked around at us before leading Shane back into the RV. They came out a moment later with Jim between them. They led him over to a tree and sat him down. They whispered to him, I assume making sure this is what he wanted. They walked away and a few people walked up to say goodbye. I stood where I was, sympathy wasn't something I was good at. I saw Daryl nod to him, probably the most acknowledgement you could get from him.

I walked back and climbed in the jeep and waited for everyone to start leaving. We started up again and we were on our way to find out if any hope remained in the world.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Decided to split this into two different chapters. This is very short but the next chapter will be the good part! I'm really excited. As always, thanks for the reviews, all feedback is welcome and appreciated so drop me a line to let me know what you think!_

_~A.S.D_

The breeze turned cool blowing through the jeep as the sun began to set over the pink horizon and left the sky painted a dark, lonely, blue. We could see the large, sterile looking building ahead, along with piles of dead bodies wrapped in canvas bags stacked in front of it. The smell was awful when we first pulled up and I gagged, covering my nose with the collar of my shirt.

"My God, this is awful," I said to Shane as we climbed out of his car and we all stood in the middle of the parking lot.

"Come on everyone, stay together," Shane whispered and we walked through the masses of humans and walkers lying on the grounds.

We got to the door and Rick rapped on it loudly. I looked all around, making sure there was no movement among the dead.

"No one's here," T-Dog said and my heart dropped.

"Walker!" Daryl called before promptly putting an arrow in its eye

"You led us to a freakin' graveyard!" Daryl yelled and started walking up to Rick.

"He made a call," Shane said, coming between Daryl and his target.

"The wrong damn call!" he yelled and lunged.

"Hey!" Shane yelled and pushed him back.

"He's not wrong. This was a bad idea. Now we are going to be stuck in the city after dark," I said, my voice oddly calm since I was full of panic.

"She's right, we can't be here now!" Lori cried, not masking her panic at all, clutching Carl tightly.

"Fort Benning Rick, it's still an option," Shane said.

"On what? No food, no fuel. It's a 100 miles," Andrea countered.

"125, I checked the map," Glenn added and I groaned.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, looking at Shane while everyone else looked to Rick who was still staring at the door.

"Come on everyone, back in the cars!" Shane yelled and he put his hand on my back to lead me away.

"The camera moved!" Rick exclaimed as we were retreating.

"It's automated, man, just shutting down," Shane said, trying to coax him away from the door.

"No, someone's in there!" he exclaimed and beat on the door, making the metal squeak in protest.

"Rick, man, come one, there is no one here."

"Please! You have to let us in. You're killing us!" Shane grabbed Rick around the waist and pulled him away. He was still screaming at the door when a blinding white light came up in front of us and the doors lifted open, granting us entry what was possibly all that was left of the world.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: So I decided to do this differently than I had originally planned because I think it would have been rushing things a little. Hershel's farm seems like the place for me to get my hands dirty ;). As always, thank you for your reviews and feedback. Any and all is welcomed and appreciated. Hope you enjoy!_

We all stepped into the bright room, weapons raised.

"Daryl you cover the back," Shane said as we all looked around for any sign of life.

"Hello?" Rick called into the huge, empty, room.

"Close those doors. Watch for walkers!" my brother called again, trying to stay alert.

"Hello?" Another voice called from a shadowed corner of the room and we pointed our weapons quickly. A tall man with short blonde hair stood across the room with a military-issue machine gun pointed at us.

"Any of you infected?" He asked, looking harmless, but I wasn't taking any chances.

"One of our group was. He didn't make it," Rick said, visibly shaking. He had put all of his hope into this and now that he was this close to finding answers, he was loosing it.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" the man asked, walking forward, making me tense and keep my gun pointed directly at him.

"A chance."

"That's asking an awful lot these days," now that the man was closer I could see he was wearing a white lab coat. He must be a doctor here.

"I know," Rick said and we all looked a little panicked. If this man turned us away, we had nowhere to go and no way to get there anyway.

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission," he said and we all relaxed a little.

"We can do that."

"You got stuff, bring it in now. Once these doors close they stay closed," he lowered him gun and we all rushed to grab our bags from the cars. Once we had all of our thinks, the doctor walked over to a keypad on the wall.

"VI, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here," he said and I noticed for the first time how cool the place was. Air conditioning ran through the room, ruffling my hair slightly.

"Rick Grimes," Rick extended his hand and the doctor looked at it for a moment before taking it.

"Dr. Edwin Jenner."

He led us across the room to an elevator that opened automatically. We all got in and once we were in the confined space, it became apparent how smelly we all were. The dirt on our skin and clothes made a sharp contrast between the clean metallic walls of the elevator.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl asked, nodding to the gun Jenner still had in his hand.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look harmless enough. Except for you, I'll have to keep my eye on you," he said looking down at Carl who smiled.

The elevator opened into a long hallway that smelled like antiseptic. He led us down the long hall.

"Are we underground?" Carol asked, looking around like the roof might collapse at any minute.

"Are you claustrophobic?" Jenner asked, looking back at her.

"A little."

"Try not to think about it," he said and kept walking. We eventually got to the end of the hall, which led to a dark room.

"VI, bring up the lights in the Big Room," he said and lights immediately flooded the room. It was circular with small workstations scattered throughout it and a large screen at the front.

"Welcome to Zone 5," he said and walked to the middle of the room.

"Where is everyone? The other doctors? The staff?" Rick asked, voicing the question we all had. This place was like a ghost town.

"I'm it. It's just me here."

"What about the person you were speaking with? VI?" It was Lori's voice from the back of the room.

"VI, say hello to our guests, tell them, welcome," Jenner said with a smile.

"Hello guests. Welcome," A computerized female voice answered and we all jumped a little bit.

"I'm all that's left. I'm sorry," he said and turned and led us into another room.

"Okay, who wants to be first?" he asked, pulling out needles, bottles, and gloves to take our blood. Everyone was quiet.

"I'll go first," I said after a minute and walked over to where Jenner was, sitting in the chair beside him and offering him my arm. He tied the rubber strip around my arm and the needle bit into my arm with a prick. He filled a small valve with my blood and then removed the needle, placing a bandage over the small hole. I stood up and walked back over to the group.

Everyone went one by one to have their blood taken, Andrea being last.

"I don't see the point. If we were infected we'd be running a fever," she said as he pricked her arm.

"I'm already breaking every rule in the book by letting you in here, at least let me be thorough," he said and finished up. Andrea stood up and stumbled a bit. Jaqui went to her side.

"Are you all right?" Jenner asked.

"She hasn't eaten in days. None of us have," Jaqui answered.

"Well why didn't you say so?" he asked and started walking. We followed him and he led us back to the Big Room.

"Wait here," he said and walked off. Once he was out of earshot, we began talking.

"That guy gives me the creeps," I whispered to Shane as we leaned against one of the workstations.

Rick overheard me though, and came over.

"He had taken us in, Adeline, given us shelter, a refuge," Rick was getting louder with each word and everyone in the room was looking at us.

"Back off Rick," Shane said, standing between the two of us. Rick held up his hands and took a couple of steps back before Shane relaxed and leaned back against the table.

"I'm with her on this one," Daryl said looking up. "He's just a little bit too squirrelly for me."

"Well, what do you want to do? Leave? Go back out there in the dark and hope we survive until morning?" Rick asked loudly.

"No. We have to stay here. It's safe," Lori said and I rolled my eyes. The conversation dropped once we heard Jenner walking down the hallway though.

"I hope you like spaghetti because that's what we're having," he said as he walked through the door. We all straightened up a little, because even though I didn't like this guy, a real meal sounded like paradise. He took us to a room with a large table, covered with plates, dishes, glasses, and wine!

"Wow," Glenn said and walked in. We all took up spots at the table and piled our plates with food and filled our glasses with wine. Daryl took a whole bottle and started drinking. Within minutes, we were all laughing and talking.

"You know, in Italy and France, children sometimes have a little wine with their food," Dale said, pouring a glass and handing it to Lori.

"Well when Carl is in Italy or France he can too," she said and took a sip.

"Come on, what's it going to hurt?" Rick asked and Lori shrugged. Dale poured a little bit into a glass for him and he took a sip.

"Yuck!" he said and spit it out. We all laughed and I grabbed the bottle of whiskey on the table and poured some, tired of the diluted wine.

"Stick to the soda pop bud," Shane said and Carl nodded.

"Not you little man", Daryl said to Glenn, "I want to see how red your face can get," the guys and I laughed, although I'm pretty sure the other women didn't get it.

"It seems we have not properly thanked our host," Rick said, raising his glass.

"He is more than just our host!" T-Dog said and everyone joined in with the cheers.

"Booyah!" Daryl called and took the whiskey bottle from me and poured another glass for himself.

"Lori? Would you like some?" I asked offering her the bottle once it was returned to me. She shook her head emphatically. "Andrea? Jaqui?" I asked and they both declined.

"It's alright Addie, you drink like one of the guys," Shane said and threw his arm around my shoulder, messing with my hair. Everyone laughed and I felt my cheeks flush a little as I pushed his arm away. Shane looked solemn for a moment then spoke.

"So, when are you going to tell us what the hell happened here doc? All the other doctors who are supposed to be figuring out what's going on, where are they?" he asked and the room fell quiet.

"Shane, we're celebrating, we don't need to do this now," Rick said looking at him angrily.

"This is why we're here a'int it? This was your move, to come here to find all the answers. Instead, we found him, we found one man. Why?" Shane continued.

"When things got bad, a lot of people just left to be with their families. When things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted," Jenner spoke quietly.

"Every last one?" Shane asked dubiously.

"No. Some couldn't face walking out those doors. They…opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time," he took a sip of wine and went quiet.

"You didn't leave. Why?" Andrea asked.

"I just kept working, hoping to do some good." The way he spoke told us the conversation was over.

"Dude, you are such a buzz kill man," Glenn said to Shane. I hugged my brother and he put his arm around me. We finished eating in silence and Jenner told us he would show us where we could sleep. We were all beyond drunk and stumbling down the hallway behind him.

"Most of the facility is powered down, including housing, so you'll have to make do here. The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you like. There's a rec room down the hall the kids might enjoy. Just don't plug in any video games, okay? Same applies, if you shower, go easy on the hot water," he said and we all stopped for a minute.

"Hot water?" Glenn asked and we were all smiling.

"That's what the man said," T-Dog responded and they took off down the hall. I picked the room at the end of the hall and threw my bags in. I was staggering and my vision blurred a little from all the alcohol. It had been months since I'd drank, so my tolerance was low and I'd drank more tonight than ever, drowning the pain and bad memories away.

I went back out into the hallway and headed toward where Jenner had indicated the showers were. I turned a corner and ran right into a hard, muscular chest. I looked up into two ice blue eyes and smiles.

"Sorry Daryl, think I had a little too much to drink," I said and stepped to the side so he could get by.

"It's alright, think we all did," he said and walked past. I kept going and got to the showers. I undressed quickly and climbed into the hot water. It was amazing. I couldn't remember the last time I had a real shower. I stood in there for a while, scrubbing the dirt off of my skin and out of my hair, my skin turning pink with the effort.

Once I was done, I got out and dressed in sweats and a tank top, that was I was comfortable but ready to go in case something happened. My head was still foggy when I went back to my room and climbed into bed, passing out almost immediately.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for your continued support of this story, I always love hearing from you. Please take a minute and review after you read, just to let me know what you think! Enjoy!_

_~A.S.D_

I woke up with a splitting headache, one unlike I'd ever had. I groaned and sat up on the small cot, stretching. My foot hit something and there was a loud "Oomph" noise. I looked down and Shane was sprawled across the foot of my cot, now rubbing the back of his head where I'd accidentally kicked him.

"Shane? What are you doing in here?" I asked, rubbing my temples, trying to dissipate the throbbing in my skull.

"Don't remember. Think I got lost," he murmured, clearly suffering as much as I was.

I got out of bed, staggering slightly and he followed suite.

"I guess we probably shouldn't drink anymore during the zombie apocalypse," I joked and started digging through my bag for some clean clothes and hoping there may be some leftover Ibuprofen somewhere.

"I'd say that's a good idea. I'm going to go get dressed and head off to see what everyone else is up to," he said and opened the door. I nodded, even though it felt like my brain might explode. Once he was gone, I slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I put my boots on and pulled my hair back before stepping out of the room. I heard talking down the hall so I followed it. As I got closer, it got louder, making my head throb even more.

"Adeline, are you hung over too?" Carl asked me the second I walked into the small kitchen. T-Dog was dishing out eggs to everyone and Glenn had his head in his hands moaning.

"Carl!" Lori chastised, but she looked up at me questioningly.

"Yeah kiddo, I am. Don't ever drink, okay," I said and flopped down in the chair beside Glenn. Carl and Lori laughed as Shane walked in. Lori glanced up, saw him, then buried her nose in her eggs.

"You feel as bad as I do?" Rick asked him as Shane poured some coffee into a cup.

"Worse," he said and walked over to the table.

"What the hell happened to your neck?" T-Dog asked and I saw the three fiery red lines running across his neck.

"Don't know. I musta done it in my sleep," he said, averting his gaze.

"I've never seen you do that before," Rick countered, eating hungrily as he spoke.

"Me neither. Not like me at all," Shane replied, looking at Lori. I made a mental note to question him later. Jenner walked in then and we all muttered our hellos.

"Doctor, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing…" Dale trailed off and the doctor smiled.

"But you will anyway," he said.

"We didn't come here for the eggs," Andrea retorted and I smiled.

Jenner got up and walked out, gesturing for us to follow him and we did. We walked into the Big Room again and Jenner walked over to a computer.

"Give me playback of TS-19," he said.

"Playback of TS-19," the computer said and images started to appear on the large screen. We were all standing around the room, shifting uneasily, unsure of what we were about to see.

"Few people ever got the chance to see this. Very few," he said as the images began to shift.

"Is that a brain?" Carl asked once the view of a human skull settled on the screen.

"An extraordinary one. Not that it matters in the end. Take us to E.I.V" Jenner said.

"Enhanced Internal View," Vi said and the picture moved to give an internal view of the brain. Little blue lights lit up the entire brain, dancing and sparkling across the surface.

"What are those lights?" Shane asked for all of us.

"It's a person's life, experiences, memories. It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you. The thing that makes you unique. And human," Jenner said looking at the screen in wonder.

"Do you make sense, ever?" Daryl asked him and I chuckled.

"Those are synapses, electrical impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They control everything a person says, does, or thinks, from the moment of birth, to the moment of death," Jenner continued, although it still made no sense to me and by the look on everyone's faces, not to them either.

"Death? That's what this is, a vigil?" Rick asked, walking forward.

"Yes. Or rather, the playback of the vigil," Jenner said, looking back at us with sad eyes.

"This person died?" Andrea asked. "Who?"

"Test subject 19, someone who was bitten and infected and volunteered to have us record the process. Scan to first event," Jenner called.

"Scanning to first event," VI responded and the clock on the screen sped up tremendously.

Black tendrils began to creep into the brain, killing the blue lights as it spread.

"What is that?" Glenn asked, all of us entranced by this.

"It invades the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shutdown, then the major organs. Then death. Everything you ever were or ever will be… gone," he was looking at the ground now and all of us wore solemn expressions.

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked her mother, looking very afraid.

"Yes," Carol answered, wrapping an arm around her daughter. Andrea was sniffling, fighting back tears and Jenner was looking at her.

"She lost someone two days ago. Her sister," Lori said and Jenner nodded.

"I lost someone too, I know how devastating it is," he looked genuinely sympathetic for a moment before turning back to the screen.

"Scan to the second event." VI responded again and the picture changed again. "The resurrection times vary wildly. We had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours. In the case of this patient, it was two hours, one minute, seven seconds," the doctor looked resolved as orange sparks began to light the brain.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked, shock coloring her voice. I shivered and Shane moved behind me, putting his arms on my shoulders.

"No, just the brain stem. Basically, it gets them up and moving."

"But they're not alive?" Rick asked. We were all afraid of the answer to the question. If they had recollection of their old life, then we had been killing innocent people who happened to be sick. If not, we were killing monsters that had taken on the form of our loved ones.

"You tell me," he said, looking at the dark brain with the one orange flicker right at the base.

"It's nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark," Rick said with conviction and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dark, lifeless, dead. The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part, that doesn't come back. The _you_ part. Just a shell, driven by mindless instinct," Jenner wouldn't look at us as a flash tore across the screen into the brain, causing the person to stop moving. We all jumped at the suddenness of it.

"God! What was that?" Carol asked.

"He shot his patient in the head. Didn't you?" Andrea looked slightly disgusted as she spoke.

"VI, power down the main screen and workstations," Jenner dodged the question and the lights in the room went out.

"You have no idea what it is, do you?" Andrea accused, a pleading look on her face.

"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal," Jenner started listing off things one by one.

"Or the wrath of God?" Jaqui asked.

"There is that," Jenner said, joking although none of us found it to be amusing. I glared at Rick, he had led us here and now we were back where we started, no answers.

"Somebody must know something," Andrea said, continuing to grasp at straws.

"There are others right? Other facilities?" Carol asked.

"There could be. Others like me."

"You don't know? How can you not know?" Rick was panicking now.

"It all went down. Communications, directives, all of it," Jenner said, looking at us all in turn. "I've been in the dark for almost a month."

"So it's not just here? There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing?" Andrea asked him, a look of hopelessness on her face now.

"I'm going to get drunk again," Daryl said, rubbing his face with his hands as we all processed the information.

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you, and I hate to ask one more question, but that clock. It's counting down. What happens at zero?" Dale asked, pointing to the clock behind the workstations that had just reached the one-hour mark.

"The basement generators, they run out of fuel," he looked away and started pacing the floor.

"And then?" Rick asked. Jenner didn't acknowledge him, just walked around the room.

"VI, what happens when the power runs out?" Rick called, taking advantage of the responsive computer.

"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur," the computer's voice rang out clear in the quiet room. Jenner had left the room and we knew we'd have to get answers on our own. Rick, Shane, Glenn, and T-Dog took off to the basement to look at the generators. Daryl and I led everyone else back to their rooms.

"Something's definitely up here. We need to be ready to leave in case somethin' goes down," Daryl whispered to me and I nodded. He had a beer in his hand and took a sip before heading down the hall to his room. I went into mine and started packing the few possessions I had into my bag. Then, I went to Shane's room and packed his too. In the middle of shoving his clothes in the bag, the lights went out. I walked out of my room to see everyone else peaking their heads out and Jenner coming around the corner.

"What's going on?" Carol asked.

"Energy is being prioritized," Jenner said, walking by Daryl and taking his beer.

"Air isn't a priority? Or lights?" Lori asked as we all started to follow him.

"It's not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down," he took a swig from the bottle and kept walking.

"Hey! Hey! What does that mean?" Daryl yelled, chasing after Jenner who wouldn't answer him.

"Hey, man, I'm talking to you. What do you mean it's shuttin' itself down? How can a buildin' do anything?" He asked, still in pursuit of the doctor. The guys came running through a door downstairs and Lori called to Rick.

"Jenner, what's happening?" Rick asked him as the man walked down to them.

"The system is dropping all nonessential uses of power. It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half hour mark. Right on schedule," Jenner said, walking back into the Big Room and pointing at the clock that had a little of thirty minutes left on it. Jenner nearly drained the bottle, then handed it back to Daryl.

"It was the French."

"What?" Andrea asked.

"They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution," Jenner said and we all looked at him, the last of our hope riding on the words he was saying now.

"What happened?" I dared to ask.

"The same thing that's happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?" he asked, laughing shakily.

Shane, angered by his amusement, leapt forward and Rick went after him

"Everyone, get your stuff, we're getting our of here," Rick called and we all headed towards the doors that led to our rooms. As we were leaving, red lights filled the room and an alarm started blaring.

"Doc, what's going on here?" Daryl asked as Jenner was fiddling with a keypad on the desk.

"Come on, let's get out stuff!" I called and we started running. Just as I approached the door, a metal wall rose from the ground, sealing the door shut. I yelped and stepped back.

"Did you just lock us in? He just locked us in!" Glenn shrieked, full panic setting in now. Jenner was at a computer, talking about the thirty-minute mark.

Daryl ran forward, the bottle poised over his head.

"You locked us in!" He screamed and Shane and T-Dog grabbed him, pulling him away from the doctor before he could do any more than shove him. He fought against them but they held him in place.

"Open the door!" I yelled, marching up to Jenner and getting in his face, though posing no real threat.

"There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are all sealed."

"Then open the damn things!" Rick called.

"That's not something I control. The computers do," Jenner said, what marbles he had left quickly spilling from his head.

"It's better this way," Jenner said.

"What is? What happens in 28 minutes?" Rick asked but Jenner just turned to the keyboard. Shane yelled the question again and smacked Jenner in the head who shot up.

"Do you know what this place is? We protect the public from very nasty stuff! Weaponized smallpox, Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out! Ever!" Jenner yelled, causing Sophia and Carl to cling to their mothers. Once he was done, he sat back down and talked in a normal voice.

"In the event of a catastrophic power failure, in a terrorist attack for an example. H.I.T.s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out."

"H. ?" Rick asked.

"VI, define."

"H. , high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives consist of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produced a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen at between 5,000 and 6,000 degrees and is useful when the greatest loss of life and damage to structure is desired," VI rattled off our death sentence like the weather. While it had been speaking, everyone moved to their loved ones, Shane hugging me tightly and the children crying.

"It sets the air on fire. No pain. An end to sorrow, grief, regret, everything," Jenner spoke in a calm voice now, resigned to die here. We were all looking around, like caged animals.

"Open the damn door!" Daryl yelled after throwing the bottle against it.

"Out of my way!" Shane yelled, carrying one of the axes from our arsenal and slamming it against the door.

"Daryl!" someone yelled and threw one to him and they both started beating on the door.

"You should've left it alone. It would've been so much easier," Jenner said in a near whisper.

"Easier for who?" Lori asked, sitting on the floor holding Carl. I grabbed another ax and went to help try and pry to door open.

"For everyone. You know what's out there! A short, brutal life and an agonizing death. You're sister, what was her name?" he asked Andrea.

"Amy."

"Amy. You know what this does. Is that what you want for your wife and son?" he asked Rick.

"I don't want this!" Rick cried.

"Can't make a dent!" I screeched and hit the door one more time.

"Those doors are built to withstand a rocket launcher," Jenner looked amused at us.

"Well, your head a'int!" Daryl yelled and ran towards him with the ax. We all grabbed him to stop him.

"You do want this. You told me just last night. That you knew it was only a matter of time before everyone you loved was dead."

"You really said that?" I yelled, beyond pissed off.

"After all your big talk?" Shane asked.

"I had to keep hope alive," Rick said, trying to convey a message to us.

Jenner and Rick then started debating hope, but I went back to the door and stopped listening. That is, until I saw Shane start running at Jenner with a gun in his hand.

"Shane! No!" Rick yelled but Shane barreled past him.

"You kill him and we never get out of here!" Rick continued as Shane pointed the gun at Jenner's head.

Shane exploded, shooting the computers and walls, causing everyone to duck. Rick grabbed him, wrestled the gun out of his hand and knocked him to the ground.

"Hey!" I yelled and ran up to Rick, smacking him in the back of the head. He turned on me, gun pointed, but I didn't flinch.

"Back off!" I yelled and knelt next to my brother. There were tears in my eyes as Rick looked down and asked him if he was done.

"Yeah, I guess we all are," he said and I hugged him, letting the tears roll quietly. Everyone looked defeated, even Daryl was slumped over, staring at the floor. I helped Shane up and heard Rick questioning Jenner on why he stayed.

"I made a promise to her, my wife," he said, pointing up to the screen.

"Test subject 19 was your wife?" Lori asked.

"She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no? She was dying? She ran this place, I just worked here. She could've done something about this."

"Your wife didn't have a choice, that's all we want, a choice. A chance to keep fighting."

"Let us keep going as long as we can," Lori cried.

"I told you everything topside is locked down." Jenner said and the door opened.

"Let's go!" Daryl yelled and we all started running. I fled to my room and grabbed my bag and Shane's too. When I met up with everyone else, Shane told me that Jaqui and Andrea had decided to stay, and Dale was still in there too. I was saddened, but didn't pause in my pursuit to leave. We got to the main entrance and started beating the windows with axes and chairs, but it wouldn't break. Even when Shane fired two bullets into it, not a scratch.

"Rick, I think I have something that may help!" Carol called and pulled a grenade out of her purse. "I found it in your uniform," she explained and Rick nodded, setting it in place in front of the window. Shane knelt next to me, covering me with his body. I covered my ears, but the explosion was still loud. We all jumped out the windows and started firing at the approaching walkers. I ran to Shane's jeep and as I climbed in, I saw Andrea and Dale climb out the windows and start running.

"Get down!" Rick yelled to them and we all got down in the cars. If I thought the explosion to open the window was loud, this one was the sonic boom. Fire flooded from the building, heating my entire face. My ears rang and Shane looked at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, my eyes unfocused.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, looking at the twisting fire on the horizon. The RV cranked and pulled off, with the rest of us following behind. Leaving our hopes burning with the building and Jenner.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: A short chapter to transition into the next part of the story. More sibling bonding. Tension is starting to mount! XD Keep the reviews coming, I love hearing from you!_

_~A.S.D_

We were riding down the lonely Georgia highway, the sun shining on us. The wind rustled my light brown hair as it rolled through the jeep.

"You sure you're okay? You haven't said anything since we left," Shane said, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I had my elbow on the edge off the jeep, head resting on it.

"I'm fine," I said, not giving any more than that.

"Come on, tell me what's wrong," he said, his hand banging against the steering wheel.

"We almost died back there Shane! That man, he almost killed us, just like that!" I yelled, finally unraveling the way I'd wanted to for miles now.

"Addie. It's okay, we made it out, we always do. I promised you I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and damn it, I mean it!" he yelled back. I was crying by now, breaking down. No one except Shane had ever seen me cry like that, and I didn't want that to change. I wiped hastily at my eyes.

"Shane! Look at us! We have no idea where we're going, what we are going to do, or," I was cut off when Shane hit the brakes. The RV had stopped dead in its tracks, smoking again.

"Damn it!" Shane yelled and jumped out of the jeep. I followed after him quickly, definitely not liking being stuck on the side of the road. Cars littered the highway and I paused for a moment. All of the cars were either empty or had dead bodies ripped apart inside. There was no way to drive our cars through the mess, but we didn't have enough fuel to go anywhere else either.

"What's going on?" I heard my older brother yell as he walked up to Dale and Rick.

"That radiator hose again. What did I say? Dead in the water…" Dale trailed off as Rick gave him a look. We were in a freaking car graveyard and Dale was freaking out about not finding a radiator hose.

"Alright, everyone look through the cars. See what you can find," Shane said and we started off to plunder through the dozens of cars.

"This is a graveyard," Lori said and we all looked back at her. She stood silently for a moment, but then went to the nearest car and started looking. I opened the trunk of a large SUV that was full of suitcases and other luggage.

I opened one of the cases and found an art kit. I popped it open and it was full of paper, pencils, markers, paints, brushed, everything an artist would ever need. I ran my hand over the smooth leather case. I had always loved to draw, before everything went to hell, some of my work was about to be displayed in a prominent art gallery. I smiled fondly and closed the case, knowing there was no practical use for it. I opened another bag and rummaged through it for some clothes.

"Everyone, get down!" Rick hissed in a loud whisper. I looked over to where he was and saw a scene from my nightmares. A herd of walkers were walking down the highway towards us.

"Shit," I whispered and crawled under the car I was looking through. My heart was racing and I prayed that the walkers couldn't hear it. I saw dirty, limping feet walking by the car. I didn't hear any screams, but searched for Shane. He was a few cars over, safe, and I breathed a sigh of relief. When I looked in front of me, I saw T-Dog lying on the ground, blood pouring out of a fresh cut on his arm. A walker had caught sight of him and was heading for him. I saw Daryl come up behind the creature and stab it swiftly in the head and throw it to the side. He yanked open a car door, grabbed a dead body out of it and threw it on top of the bleeding man. He grabbed another body and covered himself just as the walkers reached them.

There were fewer and fewer feet passing the car, and it seemed like they all had passed. I saw Sophia go to scoot out from under the car she was hiding under, but there was a stray walker. He caught sight of the little girl and my heart dropped as another one joined the first walker and they chased the child into the woods, her crying and screaming. Once they were out of sight, I dashed out from under the car and started heading to the side of the road.

"Addie," Shane called and grabbed me around the waist.

"Let me go!" I cried but he shook his head and gestured to where Rick was in pursuit of Sophia and the walkers.

"We don't need more people getting lost out there," he said and let go. I looked over at Carol, who was crying and Lori was trying to comfort her.

We sat on the highway, Dale fiddling with the RV and the rest of us searching for supplies. My mind was racing and my heart clinched for Sophia. A while later, Rick comes through the tree line, alone.

"Where is she?" Carol cries, frantic.

"It's going to be okay Carol," Rick said and called Daryl over to him. Shane, Glenn and I followed.

"I lured the walkers away from her and told her to hide in a cave in the creek. I told her to stay there and when I got back, she was gone," Rick said and I stared at him.

"You left her alone?" I screeched.

"I had to. I had to get the walkers away," he said, but didn't sound like he meant it.

"She's twelve! How could you leave a scared little girl alone?" I accused, anger flooding my face. Shane put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a look. I fell quiet but was still stewing.

"She couldn't have gotten far, we'll find her," Shane said and Rick agreed.

"Take me where you left her. I'll see if I can follow her tracks," Daryl said and we started back into the trees. It was dark under the thick canopy and Rick led us to a creek.

"You sure this is where you left her?" Daryl asked as he inspected the surrounding area.

"Yeah, I told her to stay right here. Then, I told her if I didn't make it back to go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder," Rick said, very animated as we searched the area.

"She's twelve Rick! And she was scared. You have to wonder how much of what you said stuck," I spat at him, my stomach churning at the thought of her being out here alone.

"I did what I thought was best," he said, sounding a little defeated. I scoffed and kept looking for any sign of Sophia.

"I've got a trail," Daryl called and we all walked over to where he was. There were small prints in the mud around the creek bed. We followed the trail until the sun disappeared completely.

"We have to go back to the highway," Rick said and I turned on him.

"You want to leave her out here alone all night?" I asked him.

"We don't have a choice," Shane said and I knew they were right, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

We trudged back up to the highway where everyone else was waiting. Carol ran up to Rick and he started explaining the situation to her. I heard her crying, but kept walking. I walked over to the jeep, climbed in, and lay across the seat. I needed to be alone for a while, but that wasn't going to happen.

"You alright?" Shane asked, peaking his head in the jeep. I shook my head and he climbed in with me, putting my head in his lap the way he used to when we were kids.

"We never finished talking earlier. You know I'm going to do everything I can to keep you and the others safe, don't you?" he asked me, stroking my hair.

"Of course. It's not you I'm worried about. Rick's been here all of four days and looks what's happened. Merle is gone. Amy, Ed, and half of our camp are dead. Jaqui committed suicide. All of us nearly died. Now, Sophia is missing. He's not doing such a good job," I said, finally able to vent the way I've wanted to since going back to Atlanta.

"He's doing what he can. There isn't exactly a rule book about how to guide a group through the zombie apocalypse," Shane joked, but I didn't think it was funny.

"Well, maybe he shouldn't be in charge. We were all doing just fine before he got here and it's gone down hill since," I continued. Shane knew what I meant, but was trying to calm me down.

"Everyone seems okay with his leadership. What do you want me to do? Mutiny? Kill him off and take over? Tell me what I can do to make it better," he said. Shane had always taken care of me, and I knew it hurt him that I was unhappy. Maybe I was just being a brat, but I didn't care. Rick coming back had screwed everything up.

"Mutiny sounds nice," I said with a smile and Shane laughed.

"That's my girl," he said and ruffled my hair.

"I'm sorry. The last few days have been really stressful and I guess I need someone to blame," the words were true, but there was still a part of me that thought Rick was incompetent. We sat there quietly after that, looking up at the stars. "Nights like this remind me of mom and how she used to tell us that the stars were our loved ones, looking down on us. Then she would sing to us and kiss us goodnight," I was speaking softly, tears forming in my eyes.

"Yeah, she would sing those old country songs and we would laugh, but we'd be singing along by the chorus," he laughed and wiped a stray tear from my face.

I started humming quietly and he joined in after a moment. By the time we had finished, we were both misty-eyed. He hugged me.

"Promise me you'll always be here, that you won't leave me like mom," I whispered.

"I promise. And I always keep my promises," he said and I drifted off to sleep with my brother holding me like I was a baby again.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: So this chapter is another filler. I'm really excited about the next few chapters though because I'm really going to be able to have some fun with the characters and create some tension. As always, please leave a review telling me what you think! _

_~A.S.D_

The morning sun spilled down on me, causing me to jolt awake. I stretched, my back and neck stiff from sleeping in the car all night. Shane wasn't in the car so I figured he must have left during the night to keep watch. I climbed out and walked over to the RV where everyone was huddled together.

"Morning Addie," Shane said and I waved sleepily.

"We all go out, then. We can cover more ground that way," Rick said, obviously talking about the search for Sophia.

Shane and Daryl nodded and Rick walked over to where everyone else was sitting.

"Dale, you and T-Dog stay here and work on the RV. Everyone else, get ready to head out to search. Everyone gets a weapon," Rick said, rolling out the axes, wrenches, and crowbars Carl had found in one of the cars yesterday.

"These aren't the weapons we need. What about the guns?" Andrea asked. There had been a big scene yesterday between her and Dale because he had taken her gun after her stunt at the CDC.

"We've been over this, Daryl, Rick, Addie, and I are carrying. We can't have someone popping off rounds every time a tree rustles," Shane said. I knew he'd had to fight with Rick about letting me carry a gun, but I would have anyway and he knew it, so conceded.

"It's not the trees I'm worried about," Andrea countered.

"Say someone fires at the wrong moment, a herd happens to be passing by. Then it's game over for all of us, so you need to get over it," Shane said and she was quiet.

"The plan is to follow the creek up about five miles. Chances are she'll be by the creek, it's her only landmark," Daryl said, being put in charge of the search since he was the best at tracking.

"Alright everyone, assemble your packs," Rick said and we sat out to pack our bags. I walked over to where the weapons were on the ground and picked up a wicked looking curved tool. It was stainless steel and had a sharp point at the end; I smiled at it and put it in my waistband. I was walking to get some water when I heard yelling.

Andrea was practically yelling at Dale about him taking her gun and coaxing her out of that building. The rest of us were trying not to listen, but it was hard not to. Andrea finished her rant and walked away from the old man, putting things in her bag. Carl walked over to where we were gathering and I looked at Rick.

"He's coming with us," he said after seeing the question on my face. I didn't even bother to argue. If he wanted to get his son killed that was on him. We trudged through the woods quietly, fanning out some but always staying in each other's sight. Shane and I stayed in the back while Rick and Daryl led the way. Carl was right in front of me and he was hanging back, trying to talk to Shane about something.

"Keep quiet. We're looking for Sophia," Shane snapped and I looked at him questioningly. Lori grabbed Carl around the shoulders and pulled him forward with her.

"What was that about?" I asked Shane once I thought they were out of earshot.

"Nothing, Lori told me to stay away from her family, so now I am," his face was stony but his eyes were full of pain.

"Bitch," I murmured and that earned me a small smile. We kept going until the front of the group slowed down. I craned my neck and saw a yellow tent sitting a few yards away.

"She could be in there," Shane said and I nodded. If Sophia had come across the tent and thought it was safe, she may have stayed there. It offered some shelter from the cool nights.

"Could be a whole bunch of things in there," Daryl said and started walking forward, knife ready in his hand. He walked around the tent a couple times, trying to peer into it without opening it up.

"Carol," Rick whispered and she stepped forward. "Call out softly. If she's in there your voice is the first one she needs to hear," he told her and she took a couple more steps towards the tent.

"Sophia. Sophia it's mommy. We're all here, sweetie," she called, tears in her voice.

Rick, Shane, and I stepped up to the tent with Daryl. He unzipped it slowly and yanked the flap open. I gagged immediately, the stench of death flooding out of the tent. All of us close enough to the tent were coughing and gagging as Daryl stepped inside, the flap closing behind him. I stepped off to the side and got sick, the smell turning my empty stomach.

"Daryl?" Carol called out after a minute with no sound from the tent.

"It a'int her," he said and stepped out. There were mixed reactions throughout the group, the main one worry.

"What's in there?" I asked, walking back over to everyone else.

"Some guy. Did what Jenner said, opted out. A'int that what he called it?" Daryl asked and we all looked at the ground. Out of nowhere, a loud ringing noise sang through the woods. It sounded like church bells and we all ran towards the sound. It stopped after a moment and we were trying to determine which way to go.

"What direction?" Glenn asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's this way," Rick said pointing off to our left.

"Damn. It sure it hard to tell out here," Shane said, looking around the woods.

"If we heard them then maybe Sophia did too," Carol said and that was a valid point.

"Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling others," Andrea said as we started running the way Rick had indicated.

"Maybe signaling they found her," Carol said, always hopeful.

"She could be ringing them herself," Rick called back. We broke through the trees a few minutes later at a small white church.

"This can't be it. It had no steeple, no bells," Shane said. I looked up at the building and noticed he was right. But what were the chances that there would be two churches in the middle of the woods? Rick was walking forward anyway and Shane called after him. He started sprinting across the graveyard and we all went after him. Shane, Daryl, and I were the first ones to reach it after Rick and he had his hand of the door, ready to rip it open. Daryl raised his crossbow and Shane and I had hands on our guns, just in case there was no other option.

The door swung open and there were three people sitting in the pews of the church. They turned around at the sound of the doors creaking, and growled at us. Walkers. I pulled my new weapon out of my waistband and so did everyone else. The four of us on the steps went inside. I walked around the pews to the walker who was closest to the front of the church. I gripped the tool tightly and smashed it into his head. Blood gushed out, getting on my clothes. Once he had collapsed to the floor, I knelt over him and hit him twice more, just to make sure. When I looked up, Shane and Daryl were taking care of the other two walkers.

"Sophia!" Daryl yelled out loudly, making me cringe.

"Yo, J.C., you taking requests?" he asked, looking at the carving of Jesus hanging on the cross. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to call up a good memory to keep me moving. I thought about Shane and my vacation to the mountains when I was sixteen. He'd driven all the way to North Carolina on a whim to show me the mountains. We got there, had no place to stay and no money anyways. He set us up a tent in a park somewhere and we laid out there all night, trying to count stars until we fell asleep laughing at ourselves.

"I'm telling you Rick, it's the wrong church. There's no bells and no steeple," Shane said, just as the bells started ringing again. Daryl flew out the door, running around the side of the church with us on his heels. There was a speaker mounted to the wall and the sound was playing from it. Glenn ripped open the box underneath it and pulled a plug out, making the bells stop.

"A timer. It's on a timer," Daryl said.

"I'm gonna go back in for a while," Carol said, looking shaky and walked back into the church. Daryl, Rick, Carl, and I followed her in, hanging on the back wall while she went to the altar.

"You okay? You look kinda pale," Daryl whispered to me.

"I'm fine. Just been a long day, hell a long week," I said, laughing with no humor. He smiled crookedly and shifted the crossbow onto his other shoulder.

"What about you? I saw the way you looked when you realized she wasn't here. You really care about finding her, don't you?" I asked. Daryl Dixon was an expert at hiding emotions, but I was an expert in reading them. Lori walked in then, walking pass us and sitting behind Carol.

Daryl just looked at me, but that look was the answer I needed. It was full of compassion, something you normally didn't see from him. I nodded at him, letting him know his secret was safe with me. He didn't want people to see that side of him, that softness that I could tell was right under the rough surface. Carol finished praying and Lori hugged her and they walked out. We followed behind them and stepped back into the bright sun that was setting much too quickly. Rick walked over to where Shane was standing and they talked things over. I took a water bottle from my bag and drank some, feeling drained from the sun and stress of another day in the woods. Shane walked over a minute later.

"Y'all going to follow the creek bed back, Daryl you're in charge. Rick and I are gonna hang back for a little while, search this area for another hour or so, just to be thorough.

"You're splitting us up? You sure?" Daryl asked him.

"Yeah, we'll catch up to you."

"I want to stay too," Carl said from his spot next to Lori. "I'm her friend." Rick, Shane, and Lori all looked at each other.

"Just be careful, okay," Lori said finally and gave him a hug. She hugged Rick too and he told her he wouldn't be long. Rick pulled his gun out of its holster and extended it to her.

"Take it. You remember how to use it?" he asked her.

"I'm not taking your gun and leaving you unprotected," she said exasperated.

"Here, I got a spare, take it," Daryl said, handing her a small revolver. I saw Andrea roll her eyes and groan but ignored her.

We trudged across the grounds and back into the trees, Daryl and I in front with Lori and Andrea bringing up the rear.

"Do you see any tracks?" I whispered to Daryl, not wanting to get Carol's hopes up.

"No, but I don't think she came this far into the woods. When we lost the trail last night, it looked like she was heading to another section of the highway," He said, scanning his surroundings for any signs of the little girl.

"So this is the whole plan?" Carol asked, sitting on an overturned log.

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups," Daryl said, stopping since everyone else had and leaning up against a tree.

"Carrying pointy sticks and knives," Andrea retorted. "I see you have a gun," She said to Lori.

"Why, you want it? Here, take it. I'm sick of the looks you're giving me. All of you," Lori said, handing her the gun and sitting next to Carol.

"Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through, and I would do anything to stop it. But you have to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face every time you look at him. When Sophia ran, he didn't hesitate did he? No. Not for a second. I don't think any of us would have went after her the way he did or made the hard decisions he had to make or that anyone could have done it any better. Anybody?" she asked and I was trying not to laugh at her.

"Well, none of us could have done much worse," I said and started walking again. I saw Andrea hand Lori her gun back though and they all started moving again, Daryl coming up beside me.

"I think you just ruined her 'my husband is a perfect hero' speech," Daryl whispered and I smiled.

"I try," I said and that earned me a smile. We walked in silence for a few more minutes, then a gunshot rang out in the air. It was nearby, but not in our general proximity. My heart clinched as I thought of what that could mean. In this world, that could have just sealed our fate.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: I am so sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've been without a computer all week so I'm doing this the first chance I get. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and can forgive me for being away for a while. Please leave a review letting me know what you think! I would like to thank everyone who has supported this story, especially my friend, J.P, who is constantly helping me develop my story and is a wonderful inspiration! _

_~A.S.D_

"You still worried about it?" Daryl asked Lori after a few more minutes of walking.

"Why just one gunshot?" Lori asked, looking back in the direction we had come from.

"Maybe they took down a walker," Daryl said with a shrug.

"Don't patronize me. You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker. Or Shane, they'd do it quietly," Lori's eyes were wild with worry and my own heartbeat was racing a little too quickly.

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol asked. We'd been walking very slowly and taking frequent breaks, the guys should be right behind us.

"There's nothing we can do about it anyway. We can't run around these woods chasing echoes," Daryl was being the voice of reason, making the situation even scarier.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"Same as we've been. Beat the bush for Sophia then make our way back to the highway," Daryl wasn't in the mood for comforting the woman and neither was I so we started moving again.

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV," Andrea said.

"I'm sorry for what you're going through. I know how you feel," she continued to Carol.

"I guess you do. I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't end up like Amy," Carol responded. Andrea looked down, pain fresh on her face. "I'm sorry, that's the worst thing I've ever said!" the older woman apologized and placed a hand of Andrea's shoulder.

"We're all hoping and praying with you, for what it's worth," Andrea smiled sadly.

"I'll tell you what it's worth, not a damn thing. It's a waste of time, all this hoping and praying. 'Cuz we're gonna locate this little girl, she's going to be just fine. Am I the only one zen around here?" Daryl exploded out of nowhere. Once he had finished he came back to the front of the group and kept walking.

We walked on for another hour or so. I kept glancing up at the sky, seeing the sun begin to descend. I looked back the way we had came, checking for any sign of my brother or Rick.

"Everything's fine," Daryl whispered to me, not wanting to get Lori started again. I nodded, although I was loosing confidence by the minute.

"We're gonna loose the light before long," he addressed the group now, looking at the darkening sky. "I think we should call it," he said, casting a glance at me. I cringed, I couldn't think about leaving Sophia our here alone again.

"Let's head back. We can pick it up again in the morning," Lori said, piping up for the first time since her little speech earlier in the day. The sun seemed to be setting more quickly than usual and I was worried we would be stuck out here after dark.

"How much farther?" Andrea asked after a while.

"Not far, maybe a hundred yards," Daryl said after looking ahead. He knew the woods better than anyone I had ever seen so I trusted his instincts even though everything looked the same to me. All of a sudden, screams broke out and I realized Andrea had wandered out of our field of vision and the screams belonged to her. We all ran and saw her lying on her back on the ground, a walker over her trying to subdue her. Out of nowhere, a horse came running through the clearing, the walker soaring backwards away from all of us.

"Lori? Lori Grimes?" The rider called. She was a girl with short brown hair cut to her shoulders.

"I'm Lori Grimes," Lori spoke, stepping up to face the girl.

"Rick sent me. You've got to come now. There's been an accident, Carl's been shot. He's still alive but you've got to come now. Rick needs you so just come!" The girl looked panicked but Lori threw off her backpack and walked over to the horse.

"Whoa whoa whoa, we don't know this girl!" Daryl called. "You can't get on that horse."

"Rick said you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl? Backtrack to Fairburn road. Two miles down is our farm, you'll see the mailbox. Name is Greene," She spoke rapidly and as soon as she was done she dug her heels into the horse and made it start running back in the direction it had come with Lori in the saddle behind her. We all stared for a second, trying to process this information. A wheezing sound came from beside us and the walker that had attacked Andrea sat up.

"Shut up," Daryl muttered and shot it in the head with his crossbow. We walked and saw the highway come into view. Daryl and I hung back, letting everyone else walk up first to make sure the coast was clear.

"Shot? What do you mean shot?" Dale called and I assumed one of the others had told him.

"I don't know Dale, I wasn't there," Glenn said, climbing over the railing. "All I know is that this chick came out of nowhere like Zorro on a horse and took Lori," he continued.

"And you let her?" Dale directed the question to Daryl who was now helping me over the rail and climbing over himself.

"Climb down out of my asshole, man. Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name. And Carl's," he answered and kept walking back over to the RV. I followed after him, wanting to get something to drink since I'd given my canteen to Carol earlier in the day. I heard Dale talking to Andrea, but I wasn't too concerned with her melodrama at the time. I was worried about Shane and wondering if Carl was going to be okay.

I walked back over to the group in the middle of a conversation. Apparently, someone had suggested leaving the highway and going to this farm.

"I won't do it. We can't just leave," Carol said, looking frightened and I wished I could do something to help her.

"Carol, the group is split. We're scattered and weak," Dale reasoned and I had to admit he made a point. I was desperate to find my brother and make sure he was okay, but I couldn't forget about that little girl lost in the woods.

"What if she comes back and we're not here? It could happen," Carol pleaded.

"If Sophia found her way back and we were gone, that would be awful," Andrea said, suprising me.

"Okay. We have to plan for this. I think tomorrow morning is soon enough to pull up stakes. It'll give us time to rig a big sign and leave her some supplies. I'll stay here tonight in the RV," Daryl said, trying to keep on his mask, but I could see how much finding Sophia meant to him.

"If the RV stays, then I stay too," Dale said.

"Glenn, you and Adeline have to go to that farm. Reconnect with our people and get T-Dog there. He needs antibiotics. That cut had gone from bad to worse," he continued and I nodded although Glenn seemed relunctant.

Daryl walked over to Merle's motorcycle and pulled a rag off the side bag and grabbed something from inside.

"Keep your oily rags off my brother's motorcycle," he said, throwing the rag at Dale.

"Why'd you wait until now to say something?"

"Got my brother's stash. Crystal, X. Don't need that. Got some kick ass painkillers. Oxycycline. Not the generic stuff either, that's first class. Merle got the clap on occasion," Daryl threw the drugs to Glenn and walked off again.

By the time Glenn, T-Dog, and I were on the road, night had completely fallen. We followed the directions we had been given and came to a closed gate. I hoped out and opened it, letting Glenn drive though and closed it back. We pulled up to a house a moment later with lights filling the windows. I walked ahead of the two guys, wanting to find Shane. I saw the girl from earlier sitting on the porch and glared at her.

"You close the gate after you drove in?" She asked and I nodded.

"Hello. Nice to see you again," Glenn said as he walked up on the porch.

"We came to help. Is there anything we can do?" T-Dog asked. The girl looked at the bandage on his arm and took a step back.

"It's not a bite. I cut myself pretty bad though."

"We'll look at it. Come on in and I'll make you something to eat," she said and opened the door for us.

The house was lovely on the inside, looking untouched by the walkers. She led us to a bedroom and I stopped dead in my tracks. Carl was lying on the bed, looking paler than any person I had ever seen. Lori and Rick were sitting by the bed, looking tired.

"Hey," Glenn said quietly.

"Hey," Rick responded.

"We're here. If you need anything," T-Dog said and Rick nodded before we left the room.

"I'm Maggie, by the way," the girl said as she led us to a large dining room and told us to have a seat.

"Um, Maggie, where is my brother? Shane?" I asked. I hadn't seen any sign of him since we'd been here and there was a knot growing in the pit of my stomach.

"He and one of our men went out to get some medical supplies for the boy. At the high school a few miles away. They've been gone a while though, the boy can't wait much longer," my heart was beating frantically at her words. A thousand horrible fates could have befallen my brother and I felt nauseous.

I got up from the chair and walked out to the porch, drinking in the cool night air and looking out into the darkness for any sign of my brother.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Because I love you all, here is another chapter. This is pretty short, but I think it's full of the tension you have all been eager to see. I'm excited about them finally getting to the farm, because now I can reek havoc on them! Addie and the gang are in for a wild ride, I hope you'll join them for it! Please read and review to let me know what you think!__~A.S.D_

I'm not sure how long I stood on the porch staring out into the night sky before I saw headlights appear. My heart started racing but I dared not hope until I knew for sure. The truck came to a stop a few yards from the house and the door opened. A leg clad in dark jeans appeared and I walked to the steps. Shane climbed out with two bags on his shoulder. I gave a strangled cry and let go of a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and ran to him.

"Shane!" I cried and flung myself into his arms. He hugged me tightly but kept walking with me tucked under his arm. He was limping but looked okay otherwise. Rick and Lori were waiting for him at the front door with the doctor, Hershel.

"Carl?" Shane asked immediately.

"There's still a chance," Rick said as Herschel started taking the bags.

"Otis?" the older man asked. Otis must be the man who went with Shane. I noticed for the first time that my brother had come back alone.

"No," Shane said solemnly and Maggie let out a cry. I felt bad, but better him than Shane.

"We say nothing to Patricia. Not 'til after. I need her," Hershel said and tore off to the house. Rick gave Shane a hug as well. My brother looked traumatized and I wondered what happened at that school.

"They kept blocking us at every turn. We had nothing left. We were down to ten rounds. Then he-he said he'd cover me and that I should keep going. So that's what I did, I just… I kept going but I-I looked back and he-," Shane trailed off, pain evident in his eyes. I snuggled closer to his side, wrapping my arms around him. "I tried."

"He wanted to make it right," Rick said, seeing the tears in his eyes. Maggie was openly crying now and I felt a tear roll down my cheek as well. That tear wasn't for Otis though, it was tear of joy that it wasn't my brother who had died tonight. I felt horrible for thinking that way, but family is family and nothing can change that.

Maggie went in the house to see if she could help. Shane and I sat on the ground next to the truck, his ankle looking bad while Rick and Lori sat on the porch steps. We must have been out there for close to an hour and I was starting to doze off when the door opened and Hershel came out. We all stood up and waited.

"He seems to have stabilized," he said after a beat of silence. Rick hugged him and Lori was crying.

"I don't have words," she said, choking up.

"I don't either. Wish I did. How to I tell Patricia about Otis?" he asked and I looked at Shane. He was leaning on the truck for support, now that the adrenaline had worn off the pain had set in.

"You go to Carl. I'll go with Hershel," Rick said. They went inside, leaving us in the yard.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, the tears I had been fighting back starting to flow over.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me Addie. Where is everyone else?" He asked, deflecting my question as always.

"They're still on the highway. They wanted to stay there in case Sophia came back. They are supposed to be here in the morning," I told him with a smile.

"Why don't you and Glenn go let them know what's going on, let 'em know Carl's okay. I need to go see him, alone. Then I got to go get cleaned up," he said. I didn't want to leave him, but I knew he needed that time so I nodded.

I did something stupid though. Instead of going to get Glenn I climbed in Carol's car that we had driven up here with and headed back to where everyone else was. Luckily, I made it without incident and saw Daryl sitting on top of the RV.

"Whatcha doing back here?" He asked when I climbed out the car. I climbed up there with him and plopped down on the roof.

"Giving an update. Carl got shot in some freak accident, still not sure exactly how. Shane went with another guy from the farm to get medical supplies, almost died, then it was almost too late to help Carl, but Hershel, the doctor, was able to save the day," I said and Daryl smiled at my story telling. "Where is everyone else?" I asked him then.

"Inside sleeping," he said. "You look kinda pale, you alright?" he asked, glaring at me intensely.

"I guess I'm just getting over everything. I thought I'd lost Shane tonight. That scared the hell out of me," I told him. It felt easy to talk to Daryl for some reason, although I was still guarded around him, not sure how much I could truly trust him.

"He's tough, I'm not sure anything could take him out," he said and it was my turn to smile.

"He's all I have. I don't think I could handle loosing him," I was lying on my back now, gazing up at the stars.

"I know what you mean. It was always me and Merle before all of this, even though he's an asshole, he is my brother," I looked at him. That was probably the most I'd ever heard him say.

"Yeah, I can't imagine what it's like. I'm really sorry about that too. I never got to tell you that."

He shrugged. "You know, if something had happened to Shane, the rest of the group would have been here for you. Rick would take care of you," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"I don't need anyone to take care of me. I just love my brother," I said, feeling my guard go up again. I hated showing weakness and I definitely wouldn't do it in front of Daryl.

"Sorry, just trying to help," he murmured.

"I know," I said and he smiled. We lapsed into a comfortable silence after that, both looking at the sky, wondering what awaited us in the morning.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/n: Short chapter just to transition into 'farm life' for the characters. Next chapter my fun begins! Please stayed tuned!_

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, Daryl is shaking me, telling me to wake up. I opened my eyes and saw the early morning sun peaking through the clouds.

'We gotta get moving," he said and slung his crossbow over his shoulder before climbing down to the ground. I hopped up and stretched, following him down the ladder. Andrea, Carol, and Dale were all awake and getting ready to leave. I looked over to one of the cars and saw they had left a message for Sophia, letting her know we'd be back everyday to check and see if she were here. There were a few supplies on the hood, enough to last her until we got her.

"Alright, Dale, you drive the RV up. Carol, you drive your car and Andrea will take T-Dog's. Addie and I will ride on the motorcycle up front, just to make sure everything's alright," Daryl said and walked over to the bike, gesturing for me to follow.

"You got your gun?" he asked me in a low whisper. I nodded. "Good, I saw some walkers last nigh, heading back the way you said the farm was, I just wanna make sure we're ready if something goes wrong."

"Yeah, Shane gave me some more ammo before I left last night. I'll cover you," I said and he climbed on the motorcycle. I did the same, straddling the bike and wrapping my arms around his waist as he took off.

It had been years since I'd ridden on a motorcycle, and it was just as exhilarating as I remembered. My hair fell down almost immediately, blowing free in the wind after that.

"Make a right up here, you'll come to a gate, we'll have to unlatch it," I called to him, hoping my words weren't drowned out by the wind. He nodded, letting me know he understood and followed my directions without question.

We got to the gate and I hopped off the bike to open it and everyone drove through. I locked it back and ran back to get on with Daryl again. We rode until the farm came into view. Some people were outside working, and I realized it was Shane, Glenn, T-Dog, and some of Hershel's family. I smiled as we pulled up and stopped in the field. T-Dog ran to the house, presumably to get Rick and Lori. Sure enough, just as Daryl was helping me off the bike, they came through the door.

"How is he?" Dale asked.

"He'll pull through. Thanks to Hershel and his people. And Shane," Lori said, looking at my brother.

"We'd have lost Carl if not for him," Rick said and Shane looked a little uncomfortable with all the attention he was getting. Carol and Dale moved to hug the couple and we all spread out.

"Addie!" Shane called, jogging up to me though his ankle still hadn't healed. "You were gone all night?" He asked, irritation on his face.

"Yeah, I went to go tell everyone what was going on, like you asked. I guess I just fell asleep while I was there. Hey, what happened to your hair?" I asked, realizing he had shaved off his curly locks.

"Don't change the subject. I told you to take Glenn with you. It's a good thing I didn't know you were gone, I'd have panicked," he said, still looking a little angry.

"Everything is okay, no problems," I said starting to walk up to the house.

"Problem. Don't be stupid and get yourself killed Adeline," he hissed under his breath and walked away. I rolled my eyes and walked up to the porch where Rick and Lori were sitting.

"I'm glad Carl's going to be okay," I told them, meaning it. Even though they definitely weren't my favorite people, I wished no harm on Carl. They nodded, holding hands and walked back inside.

"Hershel wants to have a service for Otis," Rick said, turning back for a moment. "Spread the word if you don't mind."

I walked around and let people know, and then we all gathered under a cluster of trees and Hershel began to speak. I didn't really listen to him speaking about Otis, not caring to feel sad about his death when I didn't even know him.

"Shane will you speak for Otis?" I heard his question to my brother and looked up.

"I'm not good at it," he said, looking at the ground.

"You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning," Patricia was crying, and I understood why she needed to know. I moved closer to Shane and he put his arm around my shoulder.

"Okay," he said. "We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up. 'We've got to save the boy' that's what he said. He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead. 'Run" he said. He said, 'I'll take the rear, I'll cover you'. And when I looked back…" he trailed off and looked at everyone. He let go of me and started limping towards the pile of rocks that was going to serve as his memorial.

"If not for Otis, I'd never have made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was his," Shane said, looking at Patricia. I was fighting back tears now, thinking about how close Shane had been to dying and silently thinking Otis for saving him. Shane placed a rock on the pile and Hershel dismissed the service, leaving us all to think about how close death really was.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Okay, so I absolutely love how this chapter turned out. This is to finish the transition to the farm, and to peel back the layers and let you all get to know our heroine a little bit better. Please leave your opinions in a review, I would love to hear from you! _

_~A.S.D_

"How long has this little girl been lost?" Hershel asked as we all gathered around the hood of Carol's car to discuss the plan for today.

"This'll be day three," Rick said and I saw the look of uncertainty on Hershel's face before he composed himself.

"County survey map," Maggie said, walking up with a roll of paper tucked under her arm. She stretched it out on the hood, pinning it down with four paperweights. "It shows terrains and elevations."

"This is perfect. We can finally get organized, start doing this thing right. We'll grid the whole area and start searching in teams," Rick said, looking at the map with amazement. This was exactly what we needed, an actual method of looking for Sophia.

"Not you. Not today," Hershel said and we all looked at the old man. "You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out. And your ankle, push it now and you'll be laid up a month. No good to anybody."

This was perfect, we finally get organized and now half of our hunting party was injured or too weak to look.

"Guess it's just me then," Daryl said, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder.

"I'll go with you. You shouldn't be out there alone. Two can cover more ground," I said, tucking my gun in my waistband. I felt Shane's eyes burning a hole in me, but I refused to meet his glare.

"Fine. We'll head back to the creek, work our way from there," Daryl said, pointing to the creek on the map where Rick had originally left Sophia.

"I can still be useful. I'll drive up to the interstate and see if Sophia wandered back," Shane said, finally looking away from me.

"All right, tomorrow then," Rick resigned. I could tell he genuinely felt bad for not being able to help.

"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives. They need that gun training we've been promising them," Shane continued. Shane was a certified instructor, one of the best in the state. He'd taught me how to shoot when I was a kid, telling me he always wanted to know that I could take care of myself.

"I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed this far without turning this into an armed camp," Hershel said and I looked at him like he had completely lost his mind.

"With all due respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here…" Shane trailed off, leaving the rest of the sentence up to our imaginations.

"We're guests here. This is your property and we _will_ respect that," Rick said firmly, looking at Shane and me as he said it. He took his gun out of its holster and set it on the hood of the car. Shane reluctantly did the same and then they looked at me.

"I'm not going out there without my gun, but I won't have it on me while we're here," I resolved, leaving my gun where it was. Rick nodded and continued.

"First things first, set camp, find Sophia."

"I hate to be the one to ask this, but someone's got to. What happens if we find her and she's bit? I think we should all be clear on how to handle that," Shane said and my heart sank. It was easy to forget that there were worse things than death lurking in those woods.

"You do what had to be done," Rick said quickly, and I knew it was the right call. If Sophia had been bitten, there was nothing we could do, and the humane thing would be not to let her turn.

"And her mother? What do you tell her?" Maggie asked, looking angry.

"The truth," Andrea and I said in unison.

"I'll gather and secure all the weapons. Make sure no one's carrying til we're at a practice range off site. I do request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience and Addie is a hell of a shot," Shane said, taking his gun off the hood and staring Hershel down.

"Our people would feel safer, less inclined to carry a gun," Rick added and the old farmer nodded slowly. "Thank you."

"That stuff you brought? You got anymore antibiotics, bandages, anything like that?" Maggie asked.

"Just what you've seen," Andrea said and walked away.

"We're running low already, I should make a run into town," the small girl continued and I looked at her bewildered.

"Not the place my brother went?" I asked, genuinely fearing for her safety.

"No, there's a pharmacy, just a mile down the road. I've done it before," she said. Rick looked over his shoulder.

"See that man over there in the baseball cap? That's Glenn, our go to town expert. I'd ask him along just to be cautious," he said and Maggie went off to do so. Shane went to go collect the weapons, Andrea followed. Rick went to help set up camp in the front field near the house and Daryl and I went to quickly prepare some provisions and head out. The sun was already sinking in the western sky but we had a couple of hours before nightfall.

I packed quickly and told Daryl I'd meet him at the tree line in a minute and walked over to where Shane and Andrea were sitting at a picnic table. He was showing her how to strip and clean a gun, but looked up at my approach.

"Hey, you alright going out there with Daryl?" he asked, showing Andrea how to check the chamber for a bullet.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just wanted to make sure you were," I said, he had been angry at my volunteering to go, but seemed fine now. Maybe he just didn't want to talk about it with Andrea around.

"Everything's good. Dale will be lookout while your out and you can takeover later tonight," he said and I nodded. I stood there for a second longer, but when he didn't say anything else, I walked off.

Daryl was waiting for me and when I reached him we started heading for the creek.

"You okay, you look upset," Daryl said, as we were walking through the woods.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's been a long week," I said with a humorless laugh.

"You sure? 'Cuz you can't be distracted while we're out here."

"I said I'm fine. I've got your back, now let's get a move on. We're already loosing the light," I said fiercely and I saw a thin smile play on his lips as he turned away to lead the way through the swampy area we'd come across. We trekked on for a while in silence before coming to a clearing. There was a house there. It was old and rundown, the grass taller than me close to the door. We stood at the edge of the clearing, looking on.

"If Sophia found it, she probably went inside. Shelter, maybe some food," Daryl said and I nodded. We walked up the pathway and soon the grass stalks were over my head and up to Daryl's chin.

"Can't see a thing," I murmured. We reached the front door and Daryl instantly loaded his crossbow. I pulled my gun as well.

"You go left, I'll go right," he said, gesturing to the hallway. I moved away from him and started checking rooms.

My heart was racing, even though there weren't any evident signs of walkers. I cleared each room and then got to the living room. Some things had been thrown around and all the alarms in my head started going off. There was a door that was slightly ajar adjacent to the room and I heard a thump. I pointed my gun with a steady hand and started walking towards it slowly. I put my hand on the doorknob and yanked it open. It was empty. I breathed a sigh of relief and then felt a hand on my shoulder. I yelled, hit the hand with the butt of my pistol and then turned with my gun aimed…right at Daryl's head.

"Holy shit, you scared the hell out of me! Didn't anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on people during the freaking apocalypse!" I yelled, my heart about to pound out of my chest. He was cradling his hand and looking at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Damn girl. I didn't realize you were so jumpy," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Let me see your hand," I said and took the injured hand in both of mine. It was red and there was going to be a nasty bruise but everything seemed okay. "You'll live."

"Come see this," he said and started walking back in the other direction. I followed closely and he led me to the kitchen. He gestured to the cupboard and I walked over and went to open it.

"Don't attack the flour, there's nothing in there," he said with a laugh and I glared at him harshly. I pulled the door open and looked.

There was a blanket and pillow in the bottom of the cabinet. It was evident that someone had slept there recently and judging by the size of the cupboard, they couldn't be bigger than a child. I looked at Daryl with wide eyes.

"She could have been here," I said and ran outside.

"Wait girl!" he called after me and followed.

"Sophia! Sophia!" I yelled out in the empty space, praying the girl was close by and would hear me.

"Sophia!" he yelled too and I looked at him. He looked back and then went back to calling her name. If there were any walkers nearby they definitely would hear us, but it was worth it.

We stopped after a moment, looking for any signs of life, or death, stirring in the grass. We saw nothing moving and I flopped down on the ground, defeated. Daryl's attention had been caught by something though and he was moving towards it. He knelt in the grass and I moved over to kneel beside him.

"What is it?" I asked, looking at the pale flower he was holding.

"Cherokee Rose," I looked at him with arched eyebrows and he sighed. "The story is when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears the Cherokee mothers were crying and grieving so much 'cause they were loosing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elder, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day, this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell," he said, looking down as he approached the end of the story. I felt a tear roll down my cheek and quickly wiped it away.

"That is probably the sweetest thing I've ever heard," I told him, wiping at my eyes. He blushed a little and stood up.

"We should be getting back," he said, putting the flower in his jacket pocket and picking up his crossbow. I got up too, brushing off my jeans and followed him back.

By the time we made it back to the farm, it was almost completely dark. We saw Dale on top of the RV keeping watch and saw Hershel out in the field.

"Hey, you found a good lead, we'll find her," I told Daryl when we had walked past the RV. He nodded.

"Yeah, we will," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder and looking at me for a moment. "Your brother's looking for ya," he said after a minute and walked away. I turned around and saw Shane staring at me.

"Hey!" I called and started running to him the way I did when I was a little girl. He laughed when I ran into him and hugged me.

"You'd think you were ten instead of twenty-five. You are in a good mood, something happen?" he asked.

"We got a pretty good lead. Found a house where someone's been staying, someone not much bigger than Sophia by the looks of it. They've been sleeping in the cupboard," I told him and pulled out of his arms to hand him my gun. "I promised Rick I wouldn't carry while we were here," I said but he wouldn't take it.

"You're going to be taking over watch for Dale, you can just sit it in the RV for now," he said and I shrugged. "You really think it's Sophia holed up in that house?" he asked.

"Don't you? Who else would it be?" I asked, my smile fading quickly at his tone.

"There's no way of knowing how long ago that place was used, plus it could be someone else who got lost," he said.

"Why would you say that? It's hope, Shane. Something we haven't had in a long time," I said, furrowing my brow and taking a step back.

"I'm not trying to make you angry, I just don't want you to get your hopes up for it to be another dead end. I want to find her just as much as you do, we just got to be realistic. She's been missing for three days now, even if she's still alive, the chances of her not being bit or something is slim."

"I know things look bad, but this is something. We can't just write her off because she may be dead. That little girl is innocent and I'm going to do everything I can to bring her mother closure, one way or another," I told him and walked off. I stormed back to the RV.

"I'll take over for you now," I told Dale and he looked at me as I climbed up.

"Everything okay?" He asked as I flopped down in the lawn chair and took the rifle from him.

"Peachy, I think Carol and Lori are making some stew, you can go eat," I told him, wanting to be alone right now. He left after casting another glance at me.

I stared out into the field but there was nothing out there so I looked over to the small campfires where everyone was sitting. From here, I could just make out who everyone was. Rick and Lori were snuggled together, looking oddly incomplete without Carl. Carol was huddled by herself and Andrea was sitting awfully close to Shane. Dale joined them and sat between T-Dog and Glenn. I didn't see Daryl, which wasn't surprising since he usually didn't eat with everyone else. I heard a clinking on the metal ladder that led up to where I was perched and tensed. I got up and waited, but saw Daryl's head before I reacted.

"What are you doing, you're lucky I didn't bash your brains in," I said and sat back down.

"You scare too easily girl, you need to toughen up," he said, a small smile playing on his lips and I fake laughed at him which caused him to really laugh. "I though you might want some company. I heard what happened with Shane," he said, pulling his pocketknife out and playing with it.

"Oh, your eavesdropping on people now," I joked and he glared at me.

"No, I guess a big mouth just runs in your family," he shot back and I scoffed.

"Not all of us are socially awkward hermits," I said, smiling now at our game.

"Better to be a hermit than a nuisance."

"Okay, you win," I said and we both laughed.

"No, but really. You okay?" he asked and I nodded.

"My brother is a pessimist, I'm used to it. I know it's crazy to think we're going to bring that little girl home, but I really do believe it. We have to," I told him and our eyes met, staring intently. I broke the contact first, looking down at my hands.

"It's not crazy. I think we are too, just a feeling," he said.

We sat there in silence until we heard another noise from the ladder.

"Wow, I'm popular tonight," I said and walked over to see who it was.

"Addie," it was Shane and he came into view a second later. "Oh, I didn't know you weren't alone," he said, looking at Daryl.

"I was just leaving," he said and nodded to me before leaving me alone with my brother.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I was a jerk, and I'm sorry," he said. I looked at him skeptically.

"You've never once apologized to me for something you did. You always said no one's right, there's always two sides to every story," I mocked his voice and he smiled.

"Things have changed. I don't want you to every walk away angry. There's always a chance we won't be able to make up later, and I love my little sister too much to let that happen," he said. I smiled broadly and gave him a hug.

"I'm not going anywhere," I told him firmly.

"You better not kiddo," he said and ruffled my hair like he did when I was a kid.

"You're not so much bigger than me," I joked and he laughed. I let go of him and stepped back. Thoughts of our childhood flooded my mind. I gestured for him to sit down and he did.

"Do you still hate me for what happened?" I asked him, knowing he'd understand.

"Addie, I never hated you, and I never will. Things happen, you got better," he said, but I could sense the hurt.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you, I was angry that you left me and I couldn't handle living with them. They were awful. All they talked about was how horrible I was and how I was nothing like my mama," I chocked a little on a sob and Shane moved to put an arm around me.

"I know, I know," he whispered.

"Grandma was the worst, saying horrible things about daddy, and saying how she never understood how he convinced mama to leave home with him. That night, they'd just gotten a call from one of my teachers, telling them I was failing. Grandpa was so angry, he slapped me. They told me I was horrible and that they hated me, that they were going to send me away. This had been going on for weeks now, it was getting worse and worse. Then Jamie got in that car wreck, he died, and I'd lost my only friend. I felt I had no way out, no reason to live. I locked myself in my bathroom, turned the shower on. I got a razor from the counter, and I made just a small cut, just to see,"

"Addie, stop. It's okay, you don't have to talk about it," I was pretty sure that was more for his benefit than mine, but I had to keep going now.

"It stung, but the pain felt good. It was something other than the numbness I'd felt since mom and dad died and you left for the police academy. So I made it deeper, and deeper, until blood was pouring from my arm. I screamed as the pain really set in and they came beating on the door but I wouldn't let them in. I was crying and screaming, and cutting. I eventually passed out, then I woke up in the hospital."

"Addie, stop."

"You were sitting there, right beside my bed. You were holding my hand, my wrists bandaged in thick gauze. You looked up at me when you realized I was awake, and you started crying. You hugged me and you told me everything was going to be okay. You told me we'd get through it together, well this is something else we're going to get through together, and I'm here now. And I'm not anywhere," I said sternly, tears streaming after telling the story I'd kept locked up for all these years.

There were tears in his eyes too and he hugged me tightly, grabbing my wrists and looking at the scars that were a constant reminder of what I'd done and how close I'd been to leaving Shane all alone.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: Ehh..this chapter pales in comparison to the last, but I still like it. Sorry for no update yesterday, school is crazy right now. Here's a long chapter to make up for it though, so enjoy! Please leave a review, I love hearing from you all. A special shout out to Best Buy Seasons, Audry Whyte, and Zale136 for their continued support. _

The next morning came slowly. Shane and I stayed up on the roof of the RV all night, talking and crying and laughing about our childhood. When the sun peaked over the clouds, I looked out at the beautiful sunrise.

"You know, with all the ugly mess that's been going on, it's been a while since I saw beauty in something. But it's not that the beauty is gone, it's that I'm too busy looking over my shoulder for the ugly that I don't have time to focus on the good," I said to him, watching the clouds turn pink and orange with the awakening sun.

"My sister the philosopher," he joked and stood up, stretching. He held his hand out to me. "Wanna go and see what's for breakfast," he asked.

"No, I think I'm going to sit for a while," I told him, pulling my knees up to my chest and hugging them to me.

"Suit yourself," he shrugged and climbed down, our peaceful time together coming to a halt.

I watched him walk over to the group of tents where the rest of our people slept. I saw Rick emerged from the tent with no sign of Lori. Carol and Andrea were already starting a fire to warm themselves, winter getting closer each day. The days were still scorching but the nights had begun to get brutally cold. Daryl climbed out of his tent then, pulling on a jacket as he did. T-Dog was sitting under a tree, holding his arm and Andrea walked over to help him put on clean bandages.

By now, the sun had finished its ascension and the breeze was ruffling my light brown hair. I breathed in the fresh air before climbing down to meet up with everyone. A while later, Lori emerged. Carol had moved to doing laundry by then and Lori quickly went to helping her.

"Morning everyone, let's get moving. We got a lot of ground to cover today. All right, everyone's getting new search grids today. If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl found, she might have gone further east than we've been so far," Rick said, leaning over the map Maggie had provided.

"I'd like to help. I know the area pretty well and stuff," a boy with fair hair said. I remembered Hershel calling him Jimmy, his daughter's boyfriend.

"Hershel's okay with this?" Rick asked him. The boy was only seventeen and I seriously doubted he knew how to shoot a gun. He was scrawny, nothing but skin and bones underneath those clothes. Carl could probably beat him in a wrestling match.

"Yeah, yeah. He said I should ask you," the boy said, looking a little nervous but I didn't say anything. We needed every body we could get combing those woods.

"All right then, thanks."

"Nothing about what Daryl found screams Sophia to me," Shane said and I looked at him sharply. "Anybody could have been holed up in that farmhouse."

"Anybody includes her right," Daryl retorted and I saw a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "Whoever slept in that cupboard couldn't be any bigger than yay-high," he continued, holding his arm out to illustrate the height he meant.

"It's a good lead," Rick affirmed and I was still looking at Shane with disbelief.

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again," Andrea added.

"No maybe about it. Ima borrow a horse, head up to this ridge right here, take a bird's eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there I'll spot her," Daryl said, pointing to the map.

"Good idea," T-Dog said. "Maybe you'll see your Chupacabra up there too," he laughed at that and I saw a tinge of pink color Daryl's cheeks. I was smirking too.

"Chupacabra?" Rick asked.

"You never heard this? Our first night in camp Daryl tell us how this whole thing reminds him of the time he went squirrel hunting and saw a Chupacabra," Dale explained and I was biting my cheek to keep from laughing. Jimmy wasn't so smart and a chuckle escaped him.

"What you braying at jackass?" Daryl barked at him and the smirk disappeared.

"You believe in a bloodsucking dog?" Rick asked him.

"Do you believe in dead people walking around?" Daryl quipped and I laughed out loud. I saw Daryl grin too when Rick had turned away. Jimmy reached for the rifle that was lying on the hood of the car.

"Hey! Ever fire one before?" Rick asked him, pushing his hand away.

"Well if I'm going out I want one," the boy protested and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah and people in hell want slurpees," Daryl said, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder and walking towards the stables.

"You should come to training tomorrow. If you're serious, I'm a certified instructor," Shane told him and he nodded.

"He can come with me for now," I said, figuring I would be the best at babysitting him. Not too harsh but not too gentle.

"He's yours to baby-sit then," Shane said and I nodded, walking off to grab my bag from my tent.

"Let's go," I barked and shoved an ax into his hands. He stuttered then jogged to catch up with me. Rick had given us rags, a hammer, and some nails. Each group had a different color rag so we could mark trees. This way we wouldn't get lost and it would stop us from wandering into another grid.

We made it to the grid without incident and I marked the tree quickly.

"You know, I'm surprised they let you and Andrea out here to help," the boy said as I ducked to avoid a large tree branch.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, trying not to grow irritated. His talking was distracting, and loud. Any nearby walkers wouldn't have a problem finding us with his incessant chatter.

"I mean, you are girls and this is men's work. Both of you should be back at the house with Lori, Carol, Maggie and Beth," he said and I turned on him, causing him to stumble.

"Excuse me? I don't know what century you're living in, but we have just as much right and ability to be out here as Daryl, Rick, and the other guys. You are, in fact, the weak member of this team. Now shut up before I rip your tongue out of your mouth," I was speaking in a harsh whisper, one Shane always said was scarier than me blessing someone out. I had no tolerance for sexist idiots, especially ones compromising our mission. His eyes grew wide but he didn't say anything as I turned back around and started walking.

Our grid was small and flat, following the beginning of the creek. I periodically marked trees, hoping that maybe Sophia would see some of the rags and follow them back to the farm. Once I saw a tree with a yellow rag, I knew we had reached the end of our grid and wandered into Andrea and T-Dog's. I saw the two of them walking towards us and waved, not wanting to be mistaken for a walker.

"Hey," Andrea said once they reached us. "We just finished up the grid, ran into Shane and Rick. We're heading back to the farm."

"So are we. Did you see anything?" I asked. With each day we didn't find her, her chances got slimmer and slimmer.

"Nothing. Maybe she never came this way and headed further north," T-Dog said and I nodded, clinging to hope.

We walked back in silence, not needing any words to convey the disappointment we felt. Rick and Shane were already back, having taken another route.

"Anything?" Rick asked once we were in earshot. I could tell by the look on their faces that they hadn't found anything. I shook my head and Rick looked down, hitting the car with his fist angrily.

"Is everyone back then? Maybe we could take another grid today," I needed something to keep busy. Ever since the previous night, my mind kept wandering back to my past. I had worked for years to build up these walls and didn't want them crumbling now, when it could get me killed.

"Daryl's still out. He had the grid farthest from the farm so it'll probably be a while. We'd loose the light if we tried, it's too risky. We're just going to have to wait for morning. I sighed heavily and handed Rick my gun.

I decided to walk around the property, to check how secure it was and to clear my head. I started to the small grove of trees directly beside our campsite. I saw Lori walking over with a bucket of water and Glenn sitting on a bench, looking nervous. I slowed a bit, making sure everything was okay.

"Mind your own business Glenn," Lori snapped before the boy had even opened his mouth.

"You're pregnant," Glenn said it as a statement rather than a question and my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it, and I didn't want to. I ran to get away from the conversation behind me, like if I didn't hear the rest then it wouldn't be true. I made it to the field farthest away from the house and flopped down. I stared out into nothing and thought.

I was the only one who knew about Shane and Lori, how they'd been together before Rick got back, when we all thought Rick was dead. That meant that this could be his baby. I wasn't sure which option was better. On one hand, the baby was his and that was a lot of responsibility, especially now. Rick would hate him and their friendship would be ruined. On the other hand, the baby wasn't his and my brother was heartbroken and bitter. He loved Lori, I'm not sure why, but he did and he thought he could still be with her someday. This baby would ruin any chance of that.

Before I realized it, the sun had began to sink, once again casting orange and pink hues across the sky. I got up and looked around. Andrea was on top of the RV keeping watch. I didn't see Lori or Carol, they were probably inside helping the other women with the laundry. Rick was pouring over the map while Shane and T-Dog worked to chop some wood for firewood. I walked back over to everyone else, seeing Glenn sitting on the porch, strumming the guitar Dale had found.

"I can take over if you're tired," I told Andrea on the way back to our group of tents. Dale walked out of the RV, holding a book.

"No, I'm fine," she said and I nodded and walked off.

"Where have you been?" Shane asked when I walked over to him.

"Just taking a walk," I shrugged nonchalantly, trying to hide my nervousness. I definitely wasn't going to talk to him about the situation in front of all these people.

"Walker!" Andrea yelled and we all turned around.

"Just the one?" Rick asked as Andrea picked up the binoculars to look out. She nodded and reached for the rifle lying on the roof.

"I bet I can nail it from here," she seemed excited as she took aim.

"No, Andrea. Put the gun down," Rick ordered and she looked over her shoulder. Shane, T-Dog, and I had grabbed the axes lying around the lumber pile.

"You'd best let us handle this," Shane said as we started out to kill the walker. Even though we outnumbered it, I was still afraid, not sure what may happen.

"Shane! Hershel wants to deal with walkers!" Rick called after us but we didn't slow down.

"What for? We got it," Shane dismissed him and I heard Rick swear before running to catch up to us.

Glenn, T-Dog, Rick, Shane, and I ran as fast as we could towards the walker. I was the fastest so I was a couple steps ahead of them. I squinted as I thought I saw the walker dragging something behind it. A crossbow. My brain was spinning and I realized I was way ahead of the guys now. I'd meant to ease up the closer we got but my legs were going at full speed now.

"Addie! Slow down!" I heard Shane yell but I was already to the walker now. Only it wasn't a walker, it was Daryl. He was covered in mud and blood, his jacket ripped to shreds. He was limping badly, his ankle at an odd angle.

"Daryl?" I asked dumbly, not sure what to say. I came to a standstill immediately so the others caught up quickly, Shane first. He ran directly between Daryl and me, not realizing there was no danger. Then, the others stopped too, seeing what I had. Rick had his gun pointed at Daryl's head.

"Is that Daryl?" Glenn asked.

"That's the third time you pointed that thing at my head. Are you gonna pull the trigger or what?" Daryl said, his breathing heavy. Rick lowered the gun and we all tried to catch our breath.

A loud crack rang out and a spray of blood hit me in the face before Daryl collapsed to the ground. I screamed and everyone looked back at Andrea.

"No!" Rick shouted as I ran over to Daryl's crumpled form. He was breathing, the bullet had only grazed his head. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What on earth's going on out here?" I heard Hershel scream and turned to see that everyone who had been in the house was outside now.

Rick and Shane came over to Daryl and lifted him off the ground.

"I was kidding," he murmured before passing out.

"Oh my God. Oh my God, is he dead?" Andrea asked, her and Dale sprinting across the field.

"Unconscious, you just grazed him," Rick said, he and Shane pulling Daryl between them.

"But look at him. What the hell happened? He's wearing ears," Glenn said, pointing to something around his neck. It looked like a shoelace with walker ears attached to it. I gagged once before composing myself.

"Let's keep that between us," Rick whispered, yanking the string from Daryl's neck and stuffing it in his pocket.

"Guys, isn't this Sophia's?" T-Dog called and we all looked back. He was holding a small doll, the one Sophia had with her when she went missing.

Daryl was still hanging limply between the two guys.

"Would you two go get him some help?" I yelled at them and they started moving again. Hershel instructed them to get him inside and they dragged him up the porch.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked Hershel, following them into a bedroom where they laid him on the bed.

"Let me take a look. Looks like something stabbed him, he pulled it out. He's lost a lot of blood. His ankle looks sprained. Maybe some broken ribs, but he'll live," Hershel deduced quickly, fluttering over his limp body.

"Thank God," I said, sliding to the floor to catch my breath. So much had happened today, it was a wonder I hadn't had a heart attack yet. I got up, though, and walked back onto the porch. Andrea was sitting in one of the rocking chairs, head in hands.

"Is he okay?" She asked me when I walked out.

"Hershel says he'll be fine," I told her curtly.

"I feel horrible."

"You should. Rick told you not to fire that gun. Even if it had been a walker, you could have drawn a whole herd here. That's _exactly_ why Rick and Shane said you couldn't carry. You realize you could have killed him, all of us actually," I spat at her, venom dripping in my words. She literally recoiled from me, like I'd reached out and slapped her.

I walked back in the house, changing my mind on the fresh air and needing to see that Daryl was okay. I walked back in and he was awake, holding a cloth to his head, Hershel stitching up his side. He was pointing where he found the doll on the map.

"That cuts the grid almost in half," Shane said, sitting in a chair in the corner. I walked over and stood beside him, feeling Daryl's eyes follow me.

"Yeah, you're welcome," he said sarcastically, flinching a little as Hershel prodded his side.

"How's he looking?" Rick asked.

"I had no idea we'd be going through the antibiotics this quickly. Any idea what happened to my horse?" Hershel asked Daryl.

"Yeah, the one that almost killed me. If it's smart it left the country," he said and I smiled.

"We call that one Nelly. As in Nervous Nelly. I could have told you she'd throw you if you'd bothered to ask. It's a wonder you people have survived this long," he said, wiping his hands and walking over to Rick. I stiffened but Shane grabbed my arm, shaking his head. I took a deep breath but calmed down. Rick and Shane walked out after Hershel, leaving me alone with Daryl.

"Hey," I said shyly. He pulled the white sheet over himself even though it was warm in the house.

"Hey," he said, still holding the cloth to his head.

"You okay?" I asked, walking over to his bed.

"I'll live," he said with a shrug, wincing at the movement. I felt like a small child, not knowing what to say.

"I was scared. I wasn't sure you were going to make it. What happened?" I asked him, my face heating at my admission. He looked at me for a moment, a strange look on his face.

"Damn horse threw me, I fell down the ridge. One of the bolts from by crossbow ran through my side. Hurt like a bitch but I got up and started climbing up. It was slippery and muddy, so I fell back down. I must have passed out because I woke up with a walker chewing on my boot. I was able to take down him and his buddy. I pulled the arrow out, bandaged the wound as best I could and made the climb again," he said. I sat by the bed, listening to his tale with fascination and horror.

"Wow. It's a miracle you're okay."

"I guess so," he said, something seemed to be bothering him but I wasn't sure whether to pry or not.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, deciding I'd try. He shook his head and I looked at him intensely, trying to let him know he could talk to me. He sighed, grimacing in pain as he did.

"I saw Merle today," he said and my eyes grew wide.

"What?"

"Well, it was a dream or hallucination or whatever, but he was there," Daryl trailed off and I understood. I placed my hand on his bare shoulder. His skin was warm and a spark of electricity ran through my hand.

"Addie?" I heard Shane call as he opened the door. He looked at us, confused, before settling his gaze on me. "Dinner's ready."

"I'll be right there. See you later," I told Daryl and followed my brother out the door. He was looking at me the whole way downstairs but I wouldn't meet his gaze. We sat in the dining room, eating the pot roast Carol and Lori had made.

"It's really good," I told them, meaning it. It was the first real meal we'd had in a long time, and it was heavenly. We all cleaned our plates.

"Adeline, would you mind helping clean the kitchen?" Lori asked, picking up the plates as the guys started leaving.

"Actually, Addie was just going to help me with something," Shane said, looking at me harshly, daring me to argue. Lori rolled her eyes but waved me away.

"Bitch," I muttered under my breath as I walked past Shane outside.

"Watch your mouth," he warned, walking right behind me.

"What did you want?" I asked him, folding my arms over my chest in the nippy wind.

"Just to talk."

"You didn't get enough last night?" I asked him sarcastically. I really didn't think I could handle another heart-wrenching night of family drama.

"Fine. I'll be blunt. What's going on between you and Dixon?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, not liking where this conversation was heading.

"I mean is there something going on between the two of you that I should know about. You've been awful chummy with him lately, spending a lot of time together," he trailed off and my jaw was hanging by now at the implication. I felt a blush on my cheeks from being approached by Shane on such a personal topic.

"Why do you care?" I asked, trying to dodge the questions I didn't have any answers for.

"Because I'm your brother and I want what's best for you, and Dixon definitely isn't it," he was leaning against the porch rail now, looking intimidating, but I glared up at him defiantly.

"There is nothing going on, but even if there was, I'm a grown woman and I can make my own decisions," I hissed at him.

"I'm just looking out for you. He's bad news, Addie. Redneck trash. He's useful to have around, but nobody you should keep company with," he said and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Excuse me Shane Walsh, but I suggest you watch your mouth. That redneck has saved our lives on more than one occasion. I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but fix it because you're really starting to piss me off," I said, turning around to storm off but he grabbed my arm to stop me.

"They're turning you against me too. It's bad enough Rick and Lori hate me, I can't take you hating me too," he said, looking sad and my anger melted.

"I don't hate you, I hate how you've been acting. Something's changed and you won't talk to me about it, even after I opened up to you last night. Tell me what it is so I can help you," I pleaded with him, grabbing his hands.

"I can't. You'll really hate me then," he said, sounding utterly defeated. I led him over to the rocking chairs and gestured for him to sit. He did and I sat beside him.

"You can tell me anything. I'm always going to be here for you, I'm on your side."

He sighed heavily and stood up, pacing and rubbing his bald head. "I killed Otis," he said and I looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "That's it. I killed him. We weren't going to make it out of there alive and it was either him or me. I shot him and left him for the walkers so I could get away."

"Oh my God," I said, my heart pounding and I felt sick. "Oh my God." He was looking at me, anguish all over his face. I stood up and walked to him, feeling like I was floating. I hugged him tightly and I felt his arms around me, clutching my shirt.

"It's okay. You did what you had to do, no one can blame you for that," I told him, meaning it. I would always pick my brother over someone else. Otis was the reason Carl had gotten shot and Shane was at that school to begin with, it was only fair for him to get him out. We stood like that for a while and I felt a new resolve for being loyal to my brother.

"Go get some rest," he told me and I nodded. I walked to my tent and crawled inside. I fell asleep with dreams of everything but sugarplums dancing in my head.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: Sorry for no update the last couple nights, I've been crazy busy. Anyway, here is a short chapter to hold you over! I promise a nice long one will be up by Tuesday once this school project is done. Please review and let me know what you think! Love you guys!_

_~A.S.D_

Today was going to be different. I made that resolve before I walked out of my tent the next morning. The last few days had been rough, and I was done with this emotional crap. I had one goal, and one goal only, to keep my brother and myself alive at all costs. I'd had nightmares all night about Shane and Otis, it was hard coping with the fact he had killed someone, but I didn't take back what I'd told him. I was here for him, no matter what. I walked outside and everyone was up and moving already.

Lori and Carl were feeding the baby chickens and I saw Patricia inside the coop, presumably gathering eggs. Dale and T-Dog were working on something with the RV, probably the radiator hose again. Andrea was walking over to Daryl's tent, a book in hand. Glenn was grabbing a basket from Maggie which looked to be full of fruit. Shane and Rick were with Jimmy looking at the map again and I walked over to them.

Glenn had just walked over and was delivering peaches, I took one from him as I walked by.

"The river leads south from that farmhouse Daryl found. Maybe Sophia dropped the doll there, the current brought it downstream," Rick said, rubbing his forehead.

"So what, you thing she took this road here and then went north?" Shane asked, pointing to the map. We'd covered a lot of ground the last four days, but there was so much more to go and we were starting to wonder if we had any chance of bringing Sophia back alive.

"Yeah, what's up that way?" Rick asked Jimmy and I rolled my eyes. He looked at me and I glared so he dropped his eyes back to the map.

"A housing development. It went up, maybe ten years ago," the young boy said and Rick looked frustrated.

"Take a run up there after gun practice. I'll hold down the fort here, but take back-up," Rick intoned. "After what went down with Daryl, I don't want anyone going out alone. We stay in pairs. I'd take suggestions for who to pick as your partner. See how they do on the range, then take your pick."

"We'd like to join you for gun training today," a small voice said and I turned around. It was Beth, the small teenage girl who I'd barely seen the whole time we'd been here. Patricia was standing with her, a rag in her hands. I gave her a small smile, Shane's story flashing through my mind before I pushed it away.

"Hershel's been very clear. I can't involve any of you in what we do without his okay," Rick told them. Apparently, Daryl had not asked Hershel to borrow a horse yesterday and Jimmy had lied about Hershel being okay with him going out with us.

"He doesn't like it but he consented," Beth said firmly but Rick looked skeptical.

"Otis was the only one who knew guns. Now that he's gone, we have to learn to protect ourselves. Her father saw the sense in that," Patricia added, looking at her shoes. I stayed steeled this time, not giving in to the emotions that were just waiting for the chance to crush me.

"No offense but I'll ask Hershel myself," Rick said and walked off.

Shane walked away too, over to where Carl was leaning against the RV, back on his feet again. I wasn't about to stand around and chat with Jimmy so I walked over to Daryl's tent and ducked my head inside.

"Hey," I said, trying to make sure it was okay for me to come in. He nodded so I came in and stood awkwardly. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Like shit. But I'll be okay," he said. His color was much better now and Hershel had decided he was well enough to sleep outside with the rest of us, but he'd been ordered to rest.

"I'm glad to hear it. You finding that doll is a big lead. Cuts the grid in half, we have a better idea of where she could be now," I told him, finding myself babbling and trying to stop.

"Yeah," was all he said. I could tell he hated being cooped up in the tent all day and not being able to help.

"You've done so much to help her. Don't feel bad. We're going to find her and it's going to be because of all your hard work," I told him. He smiled grimly and I smiled back. "We're heading out to gun practice then we've got some new places to search. I'll check in on you later."

"Thanks," he said and I walked out.

Shane, Lori, Rick, Dale, and Carl were all huddled up next to the RV and I started over to them. Once I got there, whatever had been going on was settled and everyone dispersed. Shane saw me and smiled.

"What's going on?" I asked him when I was standing next to him.

"Carl stole Daryl's gun and wants to learn how to shoot," he said nonchalantly and I laughed as the wind blew through my hair.

"What did Princess Lori have to say to that?" I asked and he gave me a dirty look. I could still feel some slight tension between us, but things were more at ease than perhaps they should be.

"She agreed," he said and I looked at him skeptically.

"After how much persuasion?" I asked and he smiled. "I thought so."

"Anyway, are you going to practice?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm a little rusty. Plus, I figured once we were done, I could go out to that housing development with you," I said, pursing my lips. He stopped in his tracks and looked at me. I stared right back.

"No way."

"That's not fair Shane. You know I can cover you and I'm going to have your back more than anyone else," I whined. I was bored sitting around on the farm all day. It was nice being able to relax, but I didn't fully trust Hershel and his family so I was still uneasy about staying here.

"Yes, but you are also a big distraction to me. I'm way more likely to screw up with you there because I'm going to be more focused on you than my surroundings," he said and I sighed, defeated. He made a point. "Besides, I need you to help keep an eye on things around here."

"Yeah, definitely can't leave it all to Rick. Look where he's gotten us," I said, ice tainting my words and Shane arched an eyebrow.

"He's done okay," Shane said without conviction.

"Hardly. It's his fault Sophia's out there missing. It's his fault half of our camp got slaughtered. It's his fault Carl got shot and you nearly got killed. If anyone is at fault for what happened to Otis, it's him," I said. I realized I was trying to cope and was deflecting blame on that last one, but the rest were honestly his fault and mistakes.

"He's the leader Addie, we've got to deal."

"And who voted him leader? I don't ever remember casting my vote for him, and I call for a recount on who did," I said snidely. Shane was fighting a smile.

"Don't worry about it kiddo. Things are going to get better, they have to," he said and a comfortable silence fell over us.

We packed up the guns and climbed in the cars. Shane had found a field we could use to practice at and had set up makeshift targets on empty crates and boxes. We got there relatively quickly and everyone seemed excited to get started. Shane handed me my pistol with a box of ammo and then went about distributing the rest of the guns among everyone else. Beth and Patricia had come with us, along with Jimmy. Andrea, T-Dog, Carl, Rick, and Glenn were there as well. Shane and I were the primary instructors with Rick and T-Dog helping as well. Rick was pretty much glued to Carl the entire time though, smothering him. Despite all that, he was actually pretty good. Shane taught him how to hold the gun and aim and he was a real natural. Andrea was too, catching on quickly.

"It's a good thing you hadn't practiced before you shot Daryl. He'd be dead and buried," Dale joked but I glared at him, not thinking it was very funny. Shane said that he would give Andrea the advanced class while the rest of us went back to camp, meaning he would take her as his back up.

We drove back to camp in silence, making it back around noon. Lori and Carol were cooking something over the small campfires and the smell wafted through across the field. I saw Daryl heading to the stables and followed him.

"Hey," I said, ducking my head inside once I got there. He didn't say anything as he slung a saddle across a horse. "What are you doing? Hershel said you need to rest."

"No, I need to be out there looking for that girl," he said and started securing the saddle on the horse's back. He winced and grabbed his ribs and I rushed over to him.

"Hey, take it easy. You've done more for that little girl than anyone else. Now you need to take care of you because we need you to," I told him.

His blue eyes bored into my green ones, as if he were peering into my soul. This time, I didn't look away. He broke the contact after a few electric minutes and nodded. I helped him back to his tent and he laid down on the blankets he had. I turned to leave but he grabbed my hand.

"Stay," he said, looking shy and childlike. I smiled at him and sat down on the ground. He relaxed and leaned back, looking as content as I felt. I would have been happy to stay that way forever, but of course, this wasn't a fairytale and shit hit the fan real fast.


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry for the brief hiatus, things have just been crazy lately. Spring break is coming up soon though, thank goodness, so things will calm down. I really do not like this chapter, but I've been suffering from some major writer's block, so this is just to push me from one point to the next so I can get back to the good stuff. Hopefully the new episode tonight will inspire me! Thanks so much for being faithful to this story, please keep it up! _

_~A.S.D_

I stayed with Daryl, talking about nothing and everything, until the sun was almost completely set in the western sky. Then, I ducked back outside and looked around. Most everyone was sitting around the fire, nibbling on what I could guess was squirrel. I saw Shane and Andrea among them and let out a sigh. I trekked over to them and sat down next to my brother.

"Hey Addie," Andrea laughed when I sat down and I looked at her with arched brows. Shane was the only one allowed to call me that. To illustrate my point without being so blunt, I retorted.

"Hi Andy," I smirked devilishly and grabbed a bowl from Shane who was smiling mischievously. I ate in silence, not having much to add to their idle chatter. I got up, telling them I would take over watch for the night.

"Wait up Addie," Shane called and came after me. I didn't slow but he caught up to me easily.

"How was the trip with Andrea? You two seem to be getting along well," I said, subtly adding a double meaning to my words. He picked up on it, looking at me with daggers and I smiled.

"There's as much going on between us as there is between you and Dixon," he shot back and my smile broadened, deciding to have some fun at his expense.

"Oh, well that says a lot," I said, making my cheeks turn red intentionally so I could play coy. He stopped and grabbed my arm, making me look at him. I struggled to keep a straight face but couldn't in the end. I burst out laughing and his eyes darkened.

"Don't joke like that. You know what I said is true, use your head Addie," he said and I just rolled my eyes. I couldn't talk to Shane about my relationship with Daryl. Not that there was a relationship to talk about.

"Anyway, how was the trip? Did you see any sign of Sophia?" I asked again, avoiding the topic.

"Nothing except a group of walkers. Bout overran us, but Andrea's new shooting ability came in handy and we are okay," he said very nonchalantly which caused me to become very suspicious. I could tell by the look on his face, however, that I wasn't going to get any answers out of him. I made a mental note to do some digging later but let it drop for now.

"I feel like you're shutting me out," I told him honestly. Since that night I purged my heart to him, and he'd told me about Otis we'd barely spoken except for yelling at each other. I could sense something changing in him and I didn't like it one bit.

"I'm not you shutting you out, there's just nothing going on. We're sitting on this farm like the world hasn't ended playing house, not much exciting news right now," he nearly spat the words and I scrunched my brow at him.

"That's a bad thing? We're finally getting a reprieve. Don't get me wrong, I think Lori is an idiot for sitting around playing housewife, but it is nice to have a minute to catch out breath. Plus, we gotta find Sophia and that's enough to keep us occupied," I stopped walking and turned on him. We were almost to the RV now, parked way out in the field to give the camp as much time to prepare as possible should something arise.

"Addie. Do you really believe she's still alive?" He asked and my temper flared.

"Are we going to go through this again? I've already told you, I'm going to find that little girl, one way or the other. Now, I told you I have your back on this Otis thing and that I'm here for you, but you have got to get your head screwed back on straight. Got it?" My voice was a steely whisper full of venom.

"Gah, I know Addie. I don't know what's going on with me. I'm just so stressed about everything. I have no idea what's going on with Rick or Lori. I just feel like I need to get away for awhile," he reached up as if to run his fingers through his hair but then remembered it wasn't there anymore.

"Well where the hell are you going to go? How about just forget about them. They aren't worth it, to hell with both of them," I said, pointing in the direction of the house.

"It's not that easy Addie."

"It can be. Just forget about them. I never understood your fascination with her to begin with. She's definitely nothing special," I retorted, my anger melting once I saw the pain in his eyes. I reached up and gave him a hug, which he returned easily. "Just try."

He nodded and pulled away with a small smile.

"When did you get so smart?" he asked with a wink. I smiled and shrugged playfully. "Love you Addie."

"Love you too."

"Just don't let them turn you against me. I can't take it if you hate me too," he said and my eyes went wide.

"Shane Alexander Walsh, I could never hate you. Not that I think anyone here does, they just don't understand you the way I do. I've got a knack for getting people that other people don't," I teased lightly after the serious tone in my declaration.

"You really are an amazing young lady. I guess I did alright by you after all," he said, slinging his arm around my shoulder and ruffling my hair as we started walking again.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm still your mini-me," I laughed and he joined in.

We made it to the RV then and I grabbed my gun from inside along with the shotgun. I climbed up the ladder and plopped down in the lawn chair, looking outward.

"Goodnight Addie," I heard Shane whisper in the dark.

"Love you Shane," I whispered back and settled in to try and protect the people I love.


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: Okay guys, this is going to be a pretty long note. First of all, I would like to thank all of you for your continued support, please keep it up. Next, a bit of news! Zale136 and I are going to be co-authoring a Walking Dead story. We will be writing it under the screen name of Alloy143 and the first chapter will hopefully be up by the end of the week, so please go check it out! Finally, I am getting to the point in this story where I have to make a decision, should I write those lost winter months or skip straight to Season 3? I've decided to start a poll on my profile asking what you guys think, so drop by and vote if you get the chance. I will definitely be taking all of that into consideration when I make my decision. Sorry for the long note, but a lot is going on and I am excited to continue the story. Please read and review, and now chapter 20! _

The smell of eggs cooking lured me back to the campsite the next morning. I was groggy from keeping watch all night but the thought of food had me jogging over to the others.

"Whoa, where ya going girl?" Daryl asked when I almost ran into him. He'd been walking over to the camp as well and was coming from behind a tree so I didn't see him. I let out a yelp at the surprise and he had a wry smirk on his face.

"Sorry. I was just trying to wake myself up. I didn't see you there," I stuttered over my words, my heart fluttering a bit too wildly. I felt heat rise into my cheeks and looked down, letting my long brown hair cover my face.

He laughed wryly and started walking again, still a little limp in his step.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, starting to walk beside him.

"I'm fine. I told you there's no need to worry," he replied nonchalantly. I rolled my eyes at him but let it drop as we reached the others.

Rick, Lori, and Carl were all sitting against a tree eating quietly. Something seemed off about them, but I didn't really care. Shane was leaned up against another tree, eyeing me curiously. Andrea was sharpening her knife on a cheese grater and Glenn was sitting off by himself, staring at Maggie who was standing on the porch. Dale was staring at both of them and Carol was serving eggs to everyone. Daryl flopped down in a chair and I saw him grimace quietly. I fought the urge to make sure he was okay, knowing he wouldn't want me to mention it in front of everyone. I sat on the ground next to him and Carol handed me a plate of eggs and a fork.

I ate happily, not speaking to anyone since I was completely focused on eating as much as I could as quickly as possible. I didn't even notice the change in Glenn's demeanor until he began to speak.

"Um guys. So…the barn is full of walkers," everyone paused. For one second, everything was absolutely silent as we all stared at him. I cast a glance at Daryl who was just staring at Glenn, then to Shane, who looked like he might explode at any moment.

"What?" I managed after another minute of silence. My voice apparently broke the spell everyone was under, because all hell broke loose then.

Everyone was talking and yelling at the same time and I couldn't keep up with all the conversations going on. Eventually, I was able to see Shane walking towards the barn in question and I quickly got up to follow him. The rest of the group saw us and came after us. Shane walked up to the door and peered through the cracks in the wood. Now that we were this close, I could hear the moaning inside and the shuffling feet. A shiver ran down my spine thinking about how close these things had been to us while we slept.

One of the walkers jumped at the door and Shane stepped back, starting to pace around all of us.

"You cannot tell me you're all right with this," Shane said after a moment, looking at Rick.

"I'm not. But we're guests here and this isn't our land," Rick said and I looked at him.

"This is our lives!" Shane yelled at him and Glenn told him to lower his voice as the walkers were congealing at the door.

"Don't tell him what to do. He's right. This is insane, we can't stay here with those things right beside us in the barn!" I was starting to panic a little. Everything we'd done, all the fighting, could have been for nothing if these walkers had broken out of the barn.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug," Andrea added.

"This a'int right. Not remotely. We've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right, or we've just got to go. Now we've been talking about Fort Benning for a long time," Shane said and I could hear the fear in his voice which only made mine worse. I could count on one hand how many times I had seen Shane truly afraid and seeing him like that made me nervous.

"We can't go!" Rick yelled.

"Why Rick? Why?" Shane countered.

"Because my daughter is still out there," Carol piped up quietly and we all stopped arguing.

"Okay. I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility," Shane said, rubbing his face with his hands. He was looking at me apologetically, but I was still angry.

"We're not leaving Sophia behind," I said emphatically and my brother looked pained at my words.

"Addie and I are close to finding this girl! I just found her damn doll two days ago!" Daryl added, coming to stand next to me. We'd both worked so hard to find Sophia, especially Daryl. We couldn't just give up now.

"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll," Shane was getting angry now and I could feel the tension mounting.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Daryl's face was turning red with anger and he took a few steps towards Shane.

"I'm just saying what needs to be said! You get a good lead in the first forty-eight hours!"

"Shane, stop," Rick said, standing between him and Daryl.

"Let me tell you something else man! If she was alive out there and saw you all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she'd run in the other direction!" Shane yelled and everything exploded.

Daryl started pushing Rick, trying to get to Shane with the leader trying to separate them. I was yelling at Shane to stop and everyone in the group was screaming something to someone else. Rick was able to keep the two off of each other and after a moment, Daryl stopped struggling. Lori had stepped into the fight and pushed Shane away from Rick who was yelling at Shane to back off.

"Keep your hands off me," Shane warned her and she looked completely shocked.

"Now just let me talk to Hershel!" Rick called, trying to defuse the situation. "Let me figure it out."

"What are you going to figure out?" Shane asked, starting towards Rick again. Lori stepped in again and put her hands on his chest to push him away. I didn't give him the chance to say something, instead I pushed her away from him and walked up to confront her while Rick and Shane continued their argument.

"Are you deaf? Because I'm pretty sure he said for you not to put your hands on him," I said, trying to keep my voice even.

"If we're going to stay, if we're going to clear this barn, I have to talk to Hershel. This is his land," Rick called as I tuned back into the conversation, leaving Lori stunned next to the barn.

"Hershel sees those things in there as people-sick people. His wife. His stepson," Dale spoke up and we all looked at him.

"You knew?" I asked him, feeling a little light-headed and short winded.

"Yesterday. I talked to Hershel," he said nodding.

"And you waited the night?" Shane accused.

"I thought we could survive one more night. We did. I was waiting til this morning to say something. But Glenn wanted to be the one," Dale continued, glaring at Shane with hatred. I was surprised by the display of emotion from the elderly man.

"The man is crazy, Rick. If Hershel thinks those things are alive or-no," Shane ranted and stopped when Rick tried to touch him.

We all stopped when we heard the chains on the barn door rattling. Shane stopped yelling instantly and pushed me behind him as the door started to shake. We all stood in ready stances but the door didn't give. I could hear the walkers groaning, antagonized by our shouting voices. The fire went out of our debate and we all resigned to let Rick talk with Hershel first. We all dispersed to go our own ways. I went to leave when Shane called me. I walked over to him, still standing next to the barn.

"What the hell was all that about?" He asked me and I took a deep breath.

"What do you mean?" I asked, even though I knew perfectly well what my brother was referring to.

"I mean all of that about Sophia and the barn. I thought you had my back on this," he said, starting to pace. I stood still and looked at the ground as I spoke.

"I do. But I told you, I'm going to find her," I nearly whispered.

"I get that, but you totally left me hanging. And the fight with Dixon, you were yelling at me, like it was my fault."

"Shane. I don't want to fight, please, just drop it," I begged in a voice laden with weariness.

"We're not fighting, just talking," he responded, coming to a stop in front of me.

"I told you! I don't have anything else to say!" I screamed at him, all of my frustration and annoyance coming out and I stalked off, not daring to look back.

I saw Daryl stalking into the stables and groaned internally. _Here we go again_ I thought as I started going after him. By the time I walked inside, he was slinging a saddle onto a table, grunting with the effort.

"Daryl," I called softly, my anger towards my brother being pushed to the back of my mind while I dealt with the problem at hand.

"Go away," he said, a hard edge in his voice. Yeah, he was pissed.

"Please don't do this," I begged, slumping against the doorframe, feeling so exhausted I could barely stand.

"I'm not just going to sit around here and do nothing. I'm going to find that girl, and then I'm going to beat the shit out of your brother," he barked and I laughed a little.

"Rick's going out to look. I'll go with him if you want. Just please don't. I'll even help you beat up Shane," I joked but he glared at me. He picked up the saddle to sling it on the horse but stumbled and bent over in pain. I ran over to him and tried to help him stand.

"Just leave me be," he was trying to put venom in the words but it came out more as a plea as he gripped his ribs. I backed away slightly, not wanting to crowd him, but stayed close in case he needed help. "Why do you always have to be so damn reasonable?" he groaned after a minute and started to walk out of the stables.

When he went to walk past me, he looked down into my eyes and patted my shoulder. I nodded, telling him I understood. He had said so much with that one gesture, predominately that he was thankful. My heart was beating a little too quickly when he walked away and I mentally slapped myself. This was definitely not the time to start fawning like a little school girl.

I looked at the horses in the stables and breathed in the scent of fresh hay. It was all so familiar. My best friend in high school had lived on a ranch and he and I used to ride the horses. Over the summers, I would spend most of my days there, I loved the intelligent, loyal animals and the freedom that came along with them.

I picked up the abandoned saddle and dusted it off. It was heavy but felt familiar in my hands. I looked at the horses and found the one I wanted. She was a beautiful mare, solid black with a long mane. I smiled at her and reached out my hands so she could sniff it. She did, and nipped at my fingers, making me laugh. I walked into her carrel and saddled her carefully.

"Hey, beautiful. It's okay, I'm just going to take you out for a run," I whispered to her as I stuck my foot in the stirrup and swung myself onto her back. I smiled at the memories that flooded my mind.

I led her out of the stables easily, all of the instructions coming back to mind as I rode her easily. I let her trot for a while, to the big field in front of the house. I slowly eased up on the reigns, letting her go at a gallop before a full out sprint. When she was going full speed, I could swear I was flying. I laughed and held onto her mane so I wouldn't fall but wouldn't constrict her movement either. My hair was flying all around me and I felt more alive than I had in months, just letting my spirit soar with the horse.

When she grew tired and returned to a trot, I tried to catch my breath from the exhilarating ride. I knew I had a goofy smile on my face as I led her back to the stables. When I got there, I saw Daryl leaning against the door, smiling micheviously.

"What?" I called down to him from where I was sitting on the horse.

"Nothing. I just don't think I've seen anyone that happy since the world went to shit," he grinned and I smiled back. "I didn't know you could ride."

"Yeah, there's a lot about me you don't know," I teased as I jumped down and led her back inside. He followed me as I put her back in her stall and took off the saddle, rubbing her warm skin. "Such a good girl," I crooned to her.

"I can tell. Shane was looking for you earlier," he said and that made me wonder how long I had actually been riding since I had lost all sense of time.

"How long have I been out there?" I asked, trying to gage the sun's position in the sky.

"About an hour, give or take," he responded and I was shocked. He laughed. "Don't worry, we're all alive."

"I'd better go see what he wanted," I said and sighed, so much for my adrenaline high. Daryl nodded and we both walked back outside.

I saw Andrea and T-Dog walking up to the porch where Maggie, Glenn, Lori, Carl, and Beth were sitting.

"You haven't seen Rick?" I heard Lori ask and Daryl and I exchanged a look before heading over to them.

"No, he and I were supposed to leave a couple hours ago," Andrea answered and I heard Daryl groan.

"Yeah you were. What the hell?" He called out as we reached them.

"Rick told us he was going out," Andrea continued and I saw Daryl's temper start to flare.

"Damn it! Isn't anyone taking this seriously? We got a damn trail! Oh here we go," Daryl ranted and I turned to see Shane walking up with the bag of guns slung over his shoulder.

"What's all this?" Daryl asked, walking up to meet him.

"You with me man?" Shane asked and extended a shotgun to him.

"Hell yeah," Daryl responded and took the gun and cocked it.

"You already got yours?" He asked Andrea and handed me mine.

"Yeah. Where's Dale?" Andrea asked him.

"He's on his way," Shane said dismissively and handed a gun to T-Dog who looked at him skeptically.

"I thought we couldn't carry," he said, arching an eyebrow but Shane didn't pause.

"We can and we have to. Look, it's one thing sitting around here picking daisies and riding horses when we thought this place was supposed to be safe. How about you man? You gonna protect yours?" He asked Glenn, offering him a gun as well. Glenn cast a glance at Maggie and took the gun. "That's it. Can you shoot?" He asked Maggie and she looked at him in bewilderment.

"Can you stop? You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight," she said but my brother didn't pay her any attention. He was acting strange but I couldn't say I disagreed with him.

"We can't leave," Carl called from the porch, walking down the steps with Lori.

"We aren't going anywhere. Hershel's just going to have to understand. He'll have to. Now I want you to take this, take it. I want you to keep your mom safe, do whatever it takes," Shane said, kneeling in front of Carl and offering him a pistol. Lori stepped between them.

"Rick said no guns. This is not your call. This is not your decision to make," she hissed and my anger spiked.

"Just shut up Lori! We're doing this to keep you and your precious 'house-wife' game safe," I snapped. I would have continued but I heard T-Dog.

"Oh shit," he said and we all turned to see what he was talking about.

The sight was something so surreal my brain couldn't process it right away. Rick, Hershel, and Jimmy were walking out from the woods with walkers on leashes. We all stared for a second but then Shane jumped up and started running towards them, sparking Daryl and me to follow. The two of us stayed slightly behind Shane who was sprinting for the trio.

"Shane!" Lori yelled but we kept running and I could tell the others were following.

"What is that?" Shane yelled and Rick held up his hand.

"Shane, just back off," he said and we stopped running as we closed the distance.

"Why do you people have guns?" Hershel asked and I heard Shane scoff.

"Are you kidding me? Look at what they're holding onto!"

"I see who I'm holding onto," Hershel said and I laughed out loud.

"No, man, you don't" Shane said, pacing around them, keeping a safe distance from the restrained walkers.

Everything went crazy then, Shane shouting about how they weren't people, Hershel yelling that he was wrong, and Rick asking that we all talk. Daryl and I had guns pointed at the walkers who were fighting to get to us.

"Let me ask you something Hershel. Could a living, breathing, person, could they survive this?" Shane asked loudly, breaking the chaotic yelling. He pulled his gun and shot three rounds into the female walker's chest. Rick yelled for him to stop but Shane was outraged now. "Could someone who's alive, could they just take that? Why's it still coming?" Two more shots rang out. "That's its heart, its lungs. Why is it still coming?" Two more shots and my ears were ringing as the walker fought harder and harder to get free.

"That's enough Shane!" Rick yelled, trying to keep a hold on the other walker.

"Yeah, you're right man. That is enough," Shane said in an even tone and one last shot rang out and the walker stopped moving, slumping into the dirt with Hershel still holding the pole.

"Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things trying to kill us! Enough. Rick, it a'int like it was before! Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it! I'm talking about fighting, right here, right now!" Shane yelled and ran to the barn.

"Take the snare pole!" Rick yelled to Hershel who was knelt in the dirt next to the dead walker. He kept shouting for Hershel to take control of the walker while Daryl and I kept our guns trained on it. Shane was beating the barn door with an ax, trying to break the chains.

"No, Shane. Don't do this, brother! Wait!" Rick called but it didn't stop him. My heart was thundering and the adrenaline poured into my veins.

"Don't do it!" Glenn yelled.

"Rick!" That was Lori's voice.

There was more pleading and yelling but I couldn't hear anymore over the sound of blood pounding in my ears. The chains gave and Shane beat on the door before moving out, luring the walkers out. They came. They poured out of the barn and we all fired. Daryl, Shane, Andrea, and I all started shooting immediately. Glenn joined in a moment later with T-Dog. Rick was still holding the other walker but Shane turned and shot it easily and it fell to the ground.

We plowed through the walkers in a minute with no close calls but I still felt shaky as we surveyed the damage. Hershel, Maggie, Beth, and Patricia were all crying, Hershel kneeling on the ground beside the fallen pole-walkers. Glenn went over to try and comfort Maggie, but she was almost inconsolable looking at the slain 'people' all around us. Shane looked satisfied while Daryl looked relieved and Rick distraught. Everyone was trying to cope in their own way. Me? I was shaking and I felt dizzy, something definitely wasn't right here, but I shrugged it off when I heard a moan from inside the barn. My head whipped around quickly, gun ready to go.

What I saw nearly sent me to my knees. Little Sophia. Little Sophia was a walker. Little Sophia was a walker and was walking out of the barn towards us. We all froze, not really knowing how to react. I heard a sob and saw Carol beginning to run forward out of the corner of my eye. Daryl reached out and grabbed her, and they both fell to the ground. He kept his arms around her, trying to stop her from running to her daughter. I saw the look of pure anguish on her face and the one of lost hope on Daryl's. I watched as a mother lost her daughter right before her eyes.

Before, there had been hope. The slightest chance that Sophia could be alive, but now. Now all hope was lost and there was no denying that the innocent child who had run around camp playing dolls, was now a monster who wanted to kill us. She was still shuffling towards us, Carol's cries the only sound.

Finally, Rick stepped up, drawing his gun. My brain didn't even really have time to process what was happening before I heard the shot ring out and saw Sophia fall to the ground. Tears sprang to my eyes without my permission and as hard as I tried to push them back, they came. I felt one roll down my cheek before I was able to get control. Carol was breaking my heart and now I heard Carl crying as well. I turned around stiffly to see Lori clinging to him, shedding her own tears.

"Don't look. Don't look," Daryl was murmuring to Carol, trying to pull her to her feet. She shoved him away, looking somewhat crazed before walking away. I stared after her for a moment before turning back to the scene. I heard Beth sobbing then and saw her stumbling towards one of the fallen walkers.

"Shh. Shh. Wait. Wait," Rick called to her but she pushed him away and kept going. She pulled a male walker off of a female one and went to kneel beside her.

"Ma," she called quietly. My heart dropped when I saw the walker reach out for her and grab her by the hair. Daryl, Rick, Glenn, Shane, and I all ran forward and started pulling her away, hoping it wasn't too late.

T-Dog jumped on the walker and started stomping at her but she kept reaching so he had to back away. She was starting to get on her feet when a sickle suddenly went through her head. She slumped to the ground and I saw Andrea wielding the weapon. Everyone started to come alive then. Hershel was leading his family back to the house with Shane and Rick following behind them, Shane yelling about Sophia being in the barn. I was rooted where I stood, I couldn't take my eyes off of the little girl.

"We should bury her," I heard someone say, even though it felt like they were talking through a fan. I turned and saw Daryl standing beside me. I nodded as much as I could, but my vision was narrowing and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

Daryl knelt down beside her and I looked at him curiously. He pulled something out of his bag and laid it beside her. When he stepped away, I saw it was her doll, the one he had found in the woods the other day. I bit my quivering lip, trying not to cry.

"Adeline!" I heard Shane yell and turned to see him stalking towards me. I saw Daryl's eyes narrow and he took a couple steps forward before I held out a shaky hand to stop him. I shook my head ever so slightly, afraid any more than that would give birth to a new round of dizziness.

"What is it Shane?" It felt like I was speaking with marbles in my mouth but he must have understood me.

"We need to talk. Alone," he added the last part after glaring at Daryl. I sighed but walked with him. He led me over to some trees and I was thankful for the shade.

"Look, a lot has happened today," he started.

"You can say that again," I laughed hysterically.

"Just listen, please. I was looking for you earlier because…because… Lori's pregnant, Addie," he looked helpless and I felt awful. With everything that had happened the last few days I had completely forgotten about Lori. I decided to stay quiet. He must have taken that for shock because he continued. "Then, Dale took off with the guns and I followed him. We got into it in the woods. He pointed a gun at my chest and accused me of killing Otis. Addie?" He stopped talking when he saw me slump against the trunk of the tree.

I was sweating and breathing heavily. Something was wrong. My vision was starting to come and go and I felt the ground rushing up on me as I collapsed.


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: Ehh, this chapter is okay but I'd hoped it would turn out differently. Anyway, please read and review. Also, please remember to stop by my profile and cast your vote in the poll about whether or not you would like for me to include the winter months in the story. I am planning on closing the poll on March 31, so please vote! It would really help me know what you guys would like to see:)_

_~A.S.D_

The next thing I knew, I saw staring up at the trees and Shane was kneeling over me, looking completely panicked.

"Addie? Addie! Adeline!" He was yelling and grabbed me by the shoulders, trying to pull me up. I couldn't move, my limbs felt like useless rubber and I could hear my frantic breathing.

"What happened?" I heard another voice say and saw a look of annoyance flash across my brother's face before Daryl appeared in my narrow line of sight.

"I'm not sure. She just collapsed."

"Addie? Can you hear me?" Daryl called softly and I tried to nod. Some semblance of relief colored Shane's face so I presumed I was successful. Suddenly, the feeling started rushing back into my body and the numbness in my arms and legs started dissipating.

"Are you okay?" Shane asked me as I started moving slightly, testing to make sure everything still worked.

"I think so," I breathed, somewhat breathlessly.

"What happened?" Daryl asked and I looked up into his blue eyes, loosing myself for a second.

"I don't know. I've been feeling kind of weird today, I think it's just the heat," I said, not sure whether or not that was the case. Truthfully, the nights were becoming cooler and it wouldn't be long before the days did too.

"You should go to the house and get some rest," Shane said as they both helped me to my feet. "Get something cool to drink and then take it easy the rest of the day."

"Hershel isn't going to let me in that house, not that I want to anyway. We have a lot of work to do," I huffed, trying to steady myself. They were both still holding onto my arms so I wouldn't fall but I pulled away slightly so I could find my balance on my own.

"At least sit in the shade for a while," Daryl compromised.

"Really, guys, I'm fine. If I start to feel bad, I'll stop and take it easy. Promise," I told them, finally feeling centered enough to try and walk. I was successful and released a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

"Stubborn as a mule," the redneck joked, giving me a lopsided grin that I returned easily. Shane looked at us, shook his head, and started walking off.

Daryl and I shared another smile before following him back over to the barn. Everyone was gathered around, unsure of what to do. I saw Dale standing near Lori and Carl with a horrified look of disgust on his face. I remembered what Shane said but decided not to mention it. I still felt weak, though I wouldn't admit that to my worrywart of a brother.

"Do you want us to start burying?" I asked Rick who was staring off in space.

"We need a service. Carol would want that," Andrea piped up.

"Yeah, we'd all want that," T-Dog added.

"Let's-let's dig a grave for Sophia, Annette, and Shawn over by those trees," Lori interjected, pointing to the grove of trees we had just emerged from.

"And we'll need a truck to move the bodies," T-Dog pointed out and Jimmy said he would go get the keys.

"No. I got the truck," Shane interrupted, sticking his arm out to stop the boy before walking to the house.

"And the others? That's a lot of digging," Jimmy said, a bit of skepticism in his voice as he looked around at us.

"We bury the ones we love. And burn the rest," I said, a harsh tone edging into my voice at the last part.

"Let's get to work," Lori said and I didn't even have the energy to lash out at her.

Daryl, Shane, Jimmy, Andrea, T-Dog, and I all worked on digging the graves after driving the bodies out to the trees. Shane kept looking at me, like he was waiting for me to collapse again. Honestly, the more I moved around, the better I felt. After what felt like forever, the three graves were ready. Lori went to go get Carol while Andrea walked up to the house to get Hershel and his family.

We all convened around the graves after we'd filled them back in. Hereshel was wearing a suit and held a Bible in his hands but didn't speak. I tried not to think about sweet Sophia too much because I didn't want to cry but I felt the tears stinging at the back of my eyes. Shane was the first one to move away from the graves and everyone else filed out in their own directions after. I saw Daryl sling his crossbow over his shoulder and head for the woods.

"Hey!" I called to him but he didn't stop. "Daryl!" I called again. When he still didn't respond I started jogging to catch up with him. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked him when I was in stride with him.

"No," he barked and I furrowed my brow and stepped in front of him to make him stop.

"Daryl. There's nothing you could have done, you know that right? This isn't your fault," I said seriously, making him meet my eyes when he tried to dodge me.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. She's dead," his voice was fierce but I could hear the slight edge of pain there.

"Well, what are you doing out here? Getting yourself killed isn't going to change anything," I barked back, starting to grow agitated.

"I'm not gonna get myself killed, I just wanted to be alone," he snapped, giving me a pointed look that made me step back.

"I was just trying to help," I said evenly even though the words stung more than I'd ever admit.

"Well don't!" He yelled and started walking off, leaving me alone. He turned back and looked at me and I could only imagine what he saw. "Look. I'm sorry, I'm just pissed. I don't really want to be alone, I just don't want to be around them," his voice was softer now and the pain was starting to show in his eyes.

"I get it," was all I said, not wanting to push it.

"Hey, um, do you wanna go for a walk or something?" He asked, looking rather uncomfortable as he shifted the crossbow onto his other shoulder.

"Yeah, sure," I agreed and walked over to him and then we started walking together. We walked in comfortable silence for a while, just thankful to be away.

"So, you okay?" He asked after some time. I smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yeah. I don't know what that was, but I'm good now," I laughed even though it really scared me. "Hey! I have an idea!" I said excitedly and he looked at me questioningly.

"And what is that?" He asked and I laughed at the skepticism in his voice.

"Teach me how to shoot your crossbow," I said and he laughed. "I'm serious. I've always wanted to learn. No time like the present."

"No way. Can't risk you hurting yourself, your brother would kill me," I glared at him at the implication but smiled after a second.

"What? You afraid I'll show you up? I promise not to embarrass you," I joked and it was his turn to glare which made me laugh again.

"Hardly, you'd be lucky to be able to pull the bow back," he snapped but there was a smile in his voice.

"Well, let's see," I demanded, starting to walk to a clearing up ahead. "Come on, show me," I said and gestured around us. He rolled his eyes but pulled the bow from his shoulder and offered it out to me. I walked over to him and put a hand on it but he pulled it back.

"You break it, I kill you," he said with a smile but there was some seriousness in his tone. I took it and held it in my hands, it was much heavier than I'd thought but I soon got used to the extra weight. I pulled it up in front of me and tried to string a bolt the way I'd seen Daryl do hundreds of times.

"No, like this," he said and came up behind me, guiding my hands to swiftly lock the bolt in place and place my hands correctly. I felt heat rush to my cheeks at his close proximity and blew my side bang out of my face. "There ya go, just like that. Now just pull back like this and…" he led me through the process and trailed off as the arrow soared across the clearing right into a tree at the other side.

"Wow," I said, a little breathless.

"Now this time by yourself," Daryl instructed and backed up slightly, giving me room but still staying close.

I followed the steps, but struggled to draw it back, the weight being more than I could manage.

"Deep breath, then pull. You can do it," I nodded and did as he said, finding that I was able to move the drawstring. It was slow and jerky, but soon the bow was ready for firing and I let go. The arrow sailed, all of two feet then crashed in the ground. Daryl laughed and I whirled on him but was smiling too.

"We can't all be good at everything like you," I joked and went to retrieve the bolt to try again.

"I believe you are confusing me for you, little miss perfect," he said and I blushed fiercely.

"I am far from perfect, and I have no idea where you got that idea," he shrugged, arms crossed over his muscular chest, leaning against the tree. I drank in the sight of him then, looking relaxed and open, not to mention gorgeous. My cheeks flamed at the thought and I hid behind my hair so he wouldn't see.

"Go again. You'll get used to the weight," he said and I took up a stance to try again. This time the arrow went further, but wavered in the air. I swore under my breath and went to go get it where it had fallen next to the tree line.

I bent over to pick it up and when I stood, I was face to face with a walker. I screamed and backed up. It was chomping its jaws, teeth clanking as it reached it for me.

"Addie!" Daryl yelled and I turned to look at him, careful not to let the walker too close. More walkers were coming through the trees. I reached to my waistband and pulled out my gun. I knew firing it would draw even more walkers to us and I couldn't have but a few bullets left after the massacre at the barn. I ran to Daryl's side, and handed him back the crossbow and he strung it, quickly taking out the walker who had been on me.

"What now?" I called as more walkers started crowding around us, about ten or more now. My heart was beating radically, and I felt my nose bleeding.

"Clear a path and run like hell," he said, glancing at the limited number of arrows in his possession and glancing at my gun. I shook my head, conveying I didn't have many bullets. I started firing though, the walkers getting too close for comfort. He started shooting too, but it was slow going.

Eventually, a small path had opened and we started running. A hand grabbed my arm but I shot the walker in the face easily and kept moving. After running at full speed for five minutes, we got back to the farm, standing in the field where Daryl had been shoot, panting.

"Are-are you o-okay?" I gasped out between breaths. He nodded and I put my hands on my knees, leaning over.

"Addie?" He said and I looked up. He was staring at my arm and I furrowed my brow as I looked down. My heart sank as I saw three fiery red scratches running down my arm.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: Guys, I am so sorry that I haven't been able to update! My computer crashed right when I was in the middle of writing this chapter and it just started working again! I feel horrible and I hope you all are still interested in this and will continue to read. As always, reviews are appreciated, I love hearing from all of you. Also, please remember to drop by my profile and vote in the poll about whether or not you would like for me to write the winter months. I plan on closing the poll in a week or so, so please take a second to let me know what you think. But without any further delay, here is the next installment in my story! Enjoy!_

My heart stopped. In one second, my entire life shattered and all the visions I'd had for the future vanished like smoke in the wind, gone forever.

"Addie," Daryl's voice was soft and I looked up from what sealed my fate into his beautiful blue eyes. "Let's get you inside," he took my arm and gently pulled so I'd start walking.

We didn't speak during the short walk back to the camp where everyone was convening for lunch. I had to fight tears when I saw Shane laughing, sitting next to Andrea. He looked up and his smile broadened when he saw me and I forced a smile of my own on my face so he wouldn't be suspicious.

"Here," Daryl said and handed me his jacket. He was giving me the chance to hide it, knowing I'd want to talk with Shane first. I gave him a wobbly smile and took it, pulling it on my shoulders.

"Hey, where have you been?" Shane asked when I walked up to him and sat on his other side.

"Taking a walk," I found my voice but it was rough with unshed tears. He furrowed his brow, knowing something was wrong.

"Well, let's take one together," he said and stood up, offering me his hand which I took. He wrapped his arm around me, like he could sense that time was short. I put mine around him in return, careful to make sure the jacket covered the scratches thoroughly.

"What's wrong?" He asked once we were out of earshot. I was biting my lip now, trying not to cry. "Addie? Tell me. What can I do? Did Dixon do something? I'll kill him," he was going off in a rant now so I held up my hand to stop him.

"Daryl didn't do anything. I have to tell you something though," my voice was shaky and he was genuinely worried now.

"Well then tell me, damn it, before I have a heart attack," he moved away from me and the cool air nipped at me.

I took a deep, shaky breath, and extended my arm. His brow furrowed again and I reached a trembling hand out to roll up the sleeve on the too big jacket. Confusion remained on my brother's face for another second before realization dawned upon him.

"No," he whispered and the tears came no matter how hard I fought. "What happened?"

"Daryl and I were in the woods, walking and he was showing me how to shoot a crossbow," my voice faltered as I thought about how happy I had been in that moment. I swallowed and kept going. "Everything was fine until a group of walkers showed up. We-we cleared a path and ran back here. I-I'm not sure when…" I trailed off, my throat hurting from the tears I wouldn't cry.

"No," his voice was even softer this time and he doubled over and a sob erupted from his chest. "No damn it!" He yelled making me jump back.

I looked back at everyone, who were staring at us now, wondering what was going on. I saw Rick stand slightly but Daryl shook his head and he sat back down. Daryl's eyes found mine and they were sad, but there was no pity and I was thankful for that. The next thing I knew, Shane was crushing me to his chest, sobbing like I had never seen before, making more tears fall from my eyes.

"Please don't cry," I choked out painfully. "Please," it came out little more than a whisper but Shane pulled back.

There were tears in his brown eyes and I had never seen him so afraid.

"You promised you weren't going anywhere," his voice was pathetic and drenched with pain. "You promised."

I put my hand on his cheek reassuringly trying to conjure up a smile. "It'll be okay. You'll be okay," my voice was much more certain that I had thought it could be. He tried to smile at me but it faltered and he hugged me again.

"What do you want me to do?" He managed to get out and I realized that he was asking me if I wanted him to kill me. I took a shuttering breath. I hadn't even thought about that.

"I don't want you to do it. It can't be you," I said, panicking. I couldn't let Shane do that, no matter what.

"Then who? Would you rather it be Rick? Lori?" He asked somewhat sarcastically.

"No, okay. I don't want them to do it. Just, give me a minute. I need to think," I said, starting to pace in a small circle and chew on my lip. "I need to tell everyone else. They need to know," I started walking back over to everyone, making sure all of the tears were gone from my face.

"Adeline. Is everything okay?" Dale asked, concern written on his open face. I found comfort in the warmth of his gaze but nothing could fill the giant void I had in my chest.

"Actually, no. I need to tell all of you something," I started, my gaze catching Daryl's. His eyes were flaming and it took a second before I could speak again. I repeated the process of rolling up the jacket sleeve. I turned my arm towards the fire so everyone could see the scratches. I couldn't face looking at everyone's reactions so Daryl and I stared at each other.

I heard their mutters and gasps as they one by one realized what had happened. Rick was standing now and I glanced up at him. His expression was hard but I saw the flicker of compassion in his eyes before it vanished. Rick had known me practically my whole life, I'd been like a little sister to him when he and Shane were in high school. In that moment, I wondered how things had gotten so messed up between us, when exactly I had started feeling such contempt towards him.

Then, I gathered the courage to look at everyone else. Dale's gaze was full of compassion and pity. Glenn and T-Dog looked angry. Lori's expression was blank while I saw a few tears in Carl's eyes and I had to look away quickly before I started crying again. I couldn't quite read Andrea's expression but when she spoke, I understood.

"What happened?" She asked and I managed to recap the story (leaving out Daryl's lesson in the crossbow) without tearing up.

"Maybe…maybe they are from the branches. Maybe it wasn't the walkers, you could have just cut your arm on some branches or thorns when you were running," Andrea continued and I had to fight with myself not to put any stake in her words. I couldn't grasp at straws and get my hopes up. I saw Shane's face light up and that made it so much worse.

"Yeah, maybe she's right. You said you aren't sure when it happened. Maybe it's not walker scratches," Shane was smiling and I saw Rick and Daryl look at the ground, understanding how awful this was going to be.

"Honey. The chances of that are…" I started but Shane cut me off.

"It's possible!" He yelled and I realized he knew that it wasn't plausible but he needed to cling to that hope. "We just have to wait and see."

"It can't hurt. If you start showing symptoms, we can…reassess the issue," Rick struggled to find the right words but I understood. If I started showing symptoms, they'd kill me. I nodded, letting him know it was okay.

"Rick! Lori!" I heard someone yelling and I looked up to the porch where Maggie was running out to us. We all shot up, waiting to see what the danger was. "Rick! Beth collapsed! I can't find dad anywhere and she just collapsed. She won't answer me or anything," she rambled once she reached us.

We all started walking briskly to the house to check on the young girl. Maggie led us to the kitchen where Beth was lying on the floor. She didn't appear hurt, physically at least. Rick, Glenn, and Shane all lifted her up easily, trying not to jostle her too much. I realized then that Daryl hadn't come in with us and wondered where he'd went. As the guys carried Beth to a bedroom, I made my way back outside.

The cold wind snapped at me. Georgia was starting to cool off, it wouldn't be long before winter settled in. I pulled Daryl's jacket tighter around me but the breeze still cut through me. I started walking over to where all of our tents were but saw Daryl's was missing. I arched an eyebrow. Where was he? I looked around and saw a figure retreating up the hill that led to the abandoned side of the house. I followed him and by the time I got over the crest of the hill I saw him setting up his tent and starting a low fire.

"Hey!" I called when I got close enough. For a second, I thought my voice had been carried away on the wind but then he looked up at me slightly. I kept walking towards him and when I was just a few feet away I stopped. "What are you doing up here?" I asked him. The wind was even worse up here and my teeth started chattering slightly and I wondered if this could be one of the signs of the virus. I pushed the thought away and continued looking at him but he didn't respond. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just wanna be alone," he muttered and plopped down on the old stone stove that was up there.

"Well, I was just coming to give you your jacket back," I said and started shrugging out of it. As soon as it was off of my shoulders the chills increased and I didn't get how Daryl could stand it in just his cut-off t-shirt.

Daryl stood up and walked over to me, taking the jacket and the wrapping it back around me.

"Keep it," he said and went back over to sit. He pulled out his knife and started sharpening a stick.

"What are you doing?" I asked him and moved a little closer.

"I don't have an unlimited supply of arrows, so I'm makin' my own," he murmured and looked up at me through his long eyelashes. I took a few more steps forward and sat next to him.

"Thanks. For everything," I said, not daring to look at him for fear of loosing my courage. Instead, I stared out at the sky and the sun starting to fade away behind the horizon. I hoped he understood, this was my goodbye to him.

"It's nothing you wouldn't have done for me," he replied, squinting up at the sky too. He did know.

"You mind if I sit here for a while? It's nice up here," I asked somewhat shyly. I didn't want to impose on him but the thought of going back to face Shane was too much.

"It is," was all the answer he gave, and it was all I needed. I smiled slightly and he smiled back, even though it didn't reach his eyes.

We sat in comfortable silence after that, watching color bleed into the sky. I'm not sure how much time had passed when I saw Lori walking up the hill, hands in pockets.

"Expecting company?" I joked and Daryl looked at me and I gestured my head to the silhouette approaching us.

"What does she want?" He asked but didn't move.

"Moving to the suburbs?" She called as she came closer. I rolled my eyes but stayed quiet. "Listen. Beth's in some sort of catatonic shock. We need Hershel," her voice was strong and bossy, the way it was when she was talking to Carl.

"Yeah. So what?" Daryl asked, continuing to sharpen the stick that was actually starting to look like an arrow now.

"So I need you to run into town real quick and bring him and Rick back," she continued, kneeling next to him. "Daryl?" She called after he didn't answer her.

"Your bitch went window-shopping. You want him? Go fetch him yourself. I got better things to do," he snapped at her and I nearly choked on my laughter.

"What's the matter with you? Don't you be so selfish," she snapped back and I waited for Daryl to explode. And he did.

"Selfish? You listen to me Olive Oyl, I was out there looking for that little girl every single day! I took a bullet and an arrow in the process! Don't you tell me about getting my hands dirty! You want those two idiots? Have a nice ride. I'm done looking for people," during the conversation he had jumped up and gotten in her face and paced around but he returned to his seat as he finished. Lori's expression was hard as she walked away

"Daryl Dixon, you are my hero," I laughed once she had left. He smiled and those beautiful blue eyes peered into my soul. A bit of grief pinged inside me as I thought of all the times I wouldn't get to have with Daryl, and Shane, and everyone else I cared about.

"You know, it's funny. The world is a total wreck, but there has still been some pretty good times in it. Like today, learning to shoot the crossbow, or riding that horse, those are the moments that make this life bearable," I said, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, the wind rustling my hair in my loose ponytail.

"Yeah. That's why finding that little girl was so important to everyone, it was hope for a future outside of this shit hole world," he added and I was a little shocked by how open he was being. Then I realized this was his final gift to me, letting me really see him like no one else had. It made me extremely happy and extremely sad all at once. Despite that, I swallowed the sad and kept going.

"I know what you mean, we've all been swimming in this darkness for so long. Sophia and Carl are the future. They are the chance for something after all of this. Or, they were," I said and I felt the chill start creeping into my bones.

"Exactly. I guess it's up to Carl now," he said with a little venom.

"Well, not just him. Lori's pregnant," I told him and ice spread in my veins at a thought. Lori's baby could be Shane's, which would make it my niece or nephew. And I'd never get to meet them.

"Really?" Daryl's voice stopped me from falling over a mental cliff.

"Yeah. So maybe there is still some hope in this world. Take care of the baby," I said, still staring at the sky that was now almost completely dark. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and saw him nod which made a knot dissolve from my chest. I used the coat sleeves to wipe at my eyes, the wind blowing making them water.

"You feel anything?" He asked and I shook my head, my hair falling down completely with the motion and starting to blow in the heavy wind.

"Nothing. Maybe Andrea's right," I laughed sarcastically. I was trying to make light of the situation so I didn't start bawling. I couldn't stand for Daryl to see me like that.

He reached out his hand and put it on my knee, which was still hugged to my chest. It took me by surprise for a second and he tensed as I did. It felt nice though, so I relaxed and so did he, leaving his had there for a moment. The gesture made it even harder not to cry. I thought in that moment of cancer patients, knowing they were going to die and having to just wait for it to happen. The thought brought a sob from my chest before I could stop it. The motion startled Daryl and he moved as I held my knees tighter and tried to force back the treacherous tears that were starting to fall.

Daryl didn't tell me everything was going to be okay, and I was glad for that. He did, however, put his arm around my shoulder and slide a little closer to me, letting me cry.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm a mess," I said after gaining control of myself and wiping my eyes with the jacket again.

"No. You're not. You're strong and brave, and that's what I like about you," he said and I looked up at him. From where I was tucked under his arm, I could see the strong line of his jaw and the stubble that ran along it. I had the strangest thought of what it would feel like to rub against it.

The wind was blowing ferociously now but I didn't feel cold anymore. There was electricity in the air around us and my heart was beating erratically. We stared into each other's eyes; ice versus green fire. I felt him leaning in a little bit closer and my breath caught for a second before I breathed in his scent. He smelled like a mixture of pine and stale smoke, it was oddly pleasant. He came closer still and it was like my entire world hung on that one second when we closed our eyes and my mouth parted slightly in anticipation. I could feel his lips hovering just above mine and then a sound burst our blissful bubble.

"Addie! Addie!" It was Shane and Daryl and I pulled away quickly. My cheeks started flaming and I made my hair a barrier between us. We were still sitting close when my brother broke the crest of the hill.

"I'm here," I called and stood up, the wind ripping through me again now that I didn't have Daryl to fight back the cold.

"What are you doing up here? I've been looking everywhere. Have you seen Lori?" He was speaking in a rush and I had to work extra hard to process each statement due to the fog clouding my brain after the encounter. I dared a look back at Daryl. He was looking at me too and his eyes said more than words ever could. He was sorry we got interrupted, so was I.

"Um, not since earlier. Why?" I asked after reluctantly breaking our eye contact.

"We can't find her anywhere. She's missing."

"She probably went out looking for Rick and Hershel," Daryl spoke from his seat and I looked back at him. The passion was still evident in his eyes and I felt heat flood my cheeks and used my hair as a divider.

"Why?" Shane asked, looking at me confusedly.

"She wanted me to go. I told her if she wanted them she could go herself," Daryl shrugged but I saw Shane tense slightly.

"Why would you let her go out there by herself? Anything could happen to her," his voice was a little strained but he was keeping a level head for now.

"How was I supposed to now that she would pick today to stop getting others to do her dirty work and do something on her own?" He asked and I knew nothing good would come of the insult.

"Listen here, redneck, don't talk about her like that, you don't know her," Shane's voice lost its control and he stepped toward Daryl who rose up to face him.

"Guys, just calm down," I said, physically putting myself between them.

"I'm going out to look for her. If anything's happened to her, you and I are going to have to have it out," Shane resigned after a minute of staring Daryl down. "Addie," Shane called and jerked his head, indicating he wanted me to follow him.

"Yeah?" I asked as we took a few steps away from Daryl.

"I'm sorry I gotta go, but I'll be back soon. If…if you feel anything, just…don't say anything until I get back, okay? Oh, and stay away from Dixon, he's bad news," Shane said in a whisper. I saw love in his eyes but there was something else too, something that had been controlling my brother for a while now, but I didn't know what it was.

"Okay, I won't say anything. Hurry back," I said, giving him a hug and not making any promises about Daryl. I couldn't keep denying that there was something between us, and I wanted to figure out what it was before I turned and wanted to eat his face off.


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N: Sorry for another break..just finishing up a lot of school stuff, but I'm on Spring Break this week, so expect a lot of updates! Please remember to go vote in the poll on my profile about whether or not to include the winter months in this story! Please enjoy!_

It was awkward standing there with Daryl after Shane departed, our heat-filled moment still hanging heavily in the air between us.

"I, um, I better get back up to the house. You know, just in case…in case there are symptoms," I was rambling and retreating, not sure where all of this left us.

"Addie," he called and I turned back towards him eagerly, hoping he'd provide some insight as to what I was supposed to do next. "Never mind," he said; shaking his head and my hopes fell.

I nodded at him, chewing on my bottom lip and walked away. Just as I got to the top of the hill, I swore I heard him say 'Come back' but when I turned back; he was starting at the stick in his hands. I shook my head, trying to clear the fog. I practically ran to the house, trying to get out of the cold, even though Daryl's jacket was still wrapped around me.

"Where have you been?" Andrea asked me once I walked in the door. Everyone was sitting in the living room and they all stared at me when I walked in.

I could only imagine what I looked like then, hair tousled by the wind, eyes wide with energy, the oversized coat, and the scratches on my arms that felt like they were burning through the sleeve, demanding to be noticed. I saw everyone glance down to where the scratches were and it made me slightly self-conscious so I tugged on the end of the sleeve, pulling it down even further to where my whole hand was encased in the cloth.

"Nowhere," I said dismissively, putting back on my air of confidence. I would never allow the rest of the group to see me as vulnerable as Daryl had. I walked with my head held high towards the kitchen and I heard footsteps behind me. It was Carl.

"What's up kiddo?" I asked him once I made it to my destination. I rummaged for a glass and filled it with some water before leaning against the counter and facing him.

"Are you going to die?" He asked bluntly but I didn't flinch. Carl had always been like a little brother to me, I was comfortable with him.

"You know what happens when someone is scratched or bitten," I responded, not able to make myself say the words.

"Yeah, but Andrea said that they may not be walker scratches," his face still held so much childlike innocence; it was hard to meet his gaze.

I sat the glass down and knelt in front of him, grabbing his hand. "Carl, it's not very likely. It's okay, though, you'll be fine. You have your mom and dad and Shane and the rest of the group, they'll all take good care of you. Just promise me something. Promise me you'll stay like this, sweet and innocent, don't let this world drag you down," I told him. This goodbye wasn't as difficult as I knew Shane's was going to be, but I still found my voice catching. "I'm sorry we haven't spent as much time together lately, but you've always been like a brother to me."

He hugged me then, wrapping his arms around my neck and squeezing. I froze for a second, I wasn't used to this type of display of affection, but I hugged him back. When he let go I stood up and ruffled his hair. If someone had told me a week ago that this would be happening I would have laughed in their face, but now it was my reality. I left the kitchen and walked back into the living room.

"Adeline. Would you like to talk about it?" Dale asked and I immediately shook my head. No way was I doing any more of this emotional stuff right now, especially with my head spinning with questions I may never get answers to. I flopped down onto the couch next to Andrea and everyone fell quiet.

"What?" I asked, growing annoyed by the way everyone was treating me, after all, I wasn't dead yet. I was met by a bunch of sympathetic gazes and I sighed and stood back up. I stormed out of the living room and walked back on the porch, gulping in the fresh air of another cool night. It seemed like this was the norm lately, everyone pissing me off and me taking refuge outside.

I looked out into the fields, everything looked fine. It was truly amazing that this farm had lasted this long, in a little bubble of bliss amongst the shit storm that was the world today. I walked over to the rockers and sat down, but I was too anxious and fidgety to sit. I wondered if that was a symptom of the virus but I shook my head. I couldn't think about that now. I walked off of the porch and over to our group of tents and into mine.

My tent was small compared to some of the others, but it was plenty of room for me. I grabbed my bag and started rummaging in it, looking for something specific. I finally found what I was looking for, my sketchbook and a pencil. Shane had tried to convince me to leave it behind, but it was the one thing from my old life I had to cling to, so here it was. I sat down on my pallet of blankets and pulled my knees up to my chest, balancing the book on them, and started to draw.

I didn't even realize what I'd been drawing until the familiar features stared up at me from the page. It was a picture of Daryl, from today in the woods. He was leaning up against a tree, arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. My face flamed like he could see the picture. I slammed the book closed and ran my fingers through my unruly hair. This definitely was not what I should have been thinking about, I should have been thinking about if Shane was okay, if I was going to hurt anyone when I turned, important stuff. I couldn't deny, however, that drawing had calmed me down.

I chewed on my lip, weighing a decision. Then, before I could change my mind, I grabbed my book, opened it to the page, tore it out gently, folded it, and slid it into the pocket in his jacket. Then, after another minute of thought, I took it back out, flipped it over, and wrote _Thanks for everything—Addie_ on the back. I returned it to the pocket and stood up, stretching out my stiff muscles. I must have been drawing longer than I thought because when I climbed out my tent I saw headlights pulling up into the yard. It was the car Shane had taken. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him and Lori climbing out, looking no worse for wear. I jogged up to the house quickly, meeting up with him on the porch.

"Hey!" I called and he looked at me. He smiled half-heartedly but waited for me before ascending the steps. I saw everyone else running to where Lori was getting out of the car, holding a piece of cloth to her head.

"Oh my God, are you alright? What happened?" Andrea asked her.

"I was in an accident, I'm fine," She said.

"She was attacked," Shane interjected, walking back to her side.

"I really am. Where's Rick?" She asked and I cast a glance at my brother. He was looking at the ground so I figured I was right. He had lied to get her back here.

"They're not back?" She asked after seeing all of our faces. "Where are they?" She demanded of my brother who was now leaning against another car.

"Look I had to get you back here," he said and met her eyes easily. I caught Dale looking at Shane like he was a monster and I was definitely confused by that. He'd done what he had to, no shame in that.

"You asshole," Lori hissed and started marching up to the house.

"Lori!" Shane called after her and walked in front of her, grabbing her shoulders when she tried to walk past him.

"He's my husband," she said, struggling against him.

"Lori, I will go after him. I will find him", he said and she pulled away from him. "Hey! First things first. I gotta look after you. I gotta make sure the baby's all right," Shane continued, backing up so she wouldn't feel threatened.

"You're having a baby?" It was Carl's voice and we all froze. "Why didn't you tell me?" That was a good question, why hadn't she?

"Come on, let's make sure you're okay," Dale said after a few seconds of silence.

"Come on," Andrea encouraged and put an arm around Lori's shoulder. The three of them and Carl walked in the house without another word.

"How you feeling?" Shane asked me although his eyes stayed glued to the door.

"Same," I said just as a gust of wind assaulted me. I pulled the jacket around me and the sleeve came up just enough for me to see the scratches. They looked the same but that didn't mean anything.

"Well, if anything changes, come get me," he said and walked away. For some reason, that stung. He walked up to the house and marched through the door, leaving me alone in the cold.

I stood there for a moment, just staring at the closed door. With all the excitement, I hadn't realized how exhausted I was, but now it was setting in hard. I shuffled my way back to my tent, but then realized I couldn't fall asleep out here. I had to be around people so that way if-when—I started showing symptoms, they could handle it. I sighed and walked back towards the house and I saw Andrea, Dale, and Carl walk onto the porch. I walked up the steps and leaned against the railing. Thankfully, they didn't say anything to me.

After a while, my legs started to hurt and I found myself nodding off standing up so I made my way over to one of the chairs and sat down, pulling my knees up to my chest. I started rocking, and before I could stop myself, I was asleep.


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: Hey everyone! I just want to take a moment to think all of you for all of your support of this story, it would not be possible without all of you! I love reading your reviews and getting favorites, it definitely makes my day. Please keep it up and enjoy!_

Nightmares tormented me all night. The torture morphed from one instrument to another and I couldn't get free. It started with a scene from my teenage years, the night Shane and I found out that our parents were dead.

Shane was in college but was home for the summer. The two of us instantly went back to our close relationship, catching up on every minute of missed time. I was fourteen so there was a lot of non-sense and drama involved, but he endured it and gave advice when he could. My parents were out getting dinner for us, I'd complained enough so they were going to get Chinese from across town, much to Shane's displeasure. We were watching TV when it started pouring rain, not uncommon for Georgia in the summer.

We didn't really think about why it was taking our parents so long to get back, we were too engrossed in our own bubbles to notice. Then the phone rang.

"I've got it," Shane said and picked it up. He started talking to the person and I could instantly tell something was wrong. I made my way closer to him, pressing my ear to the other side of the receiver to try and hear what was being said.

"I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do. They both died at the scene," the strange voice said without inflection. I looked up to Shane, pleading with my eyes to tell me that they had the wrong number or something. Then I saw the tears in his eyes and the look he gave me, like he was about to approach a feral animal.

"Addie," he said gently, the phone falling from his hands. I slowly started scooting away from him; running would make this not be true. "Adeline, I'm sorry," he said and I shot up and bolted for the door. "Adeline!" I heard him call after me but I kept running. I jumped off the porch into the pouring rain, not caring.

I'd always been a good runner so I put it to work, pumping my legs as hard as I possibly could. I had no destination in mind, but somehow I ended up at the scene of the accident, two cars twisted around each other, flames lapping at them as firemen and police officers were trying to clear the area. I was breathing heavy, the wreck was at least three miles from my house and I'd sprinted the entire way but now I felt numb and weak as I stared at the flames floating up to the sky.

That image shifted into another, a fire burning in the hearth at my grandparents' house a week later.

"I'm sorry Addie. I have to go back. You'll be fine here, they will take good care of you," Shane was telling me as we sat in the chairs facing the hearth. I was wearing shorts and a tank top, my hair soaked from the recent shower but Shane was clean and ready to leave. He was going back to school; his vacation had drawn to a close.

"Don't leave me. Please. I can't loose you too," I whispered, looking him square in the eye. He had brought me here, thinking this would be the best place for me while he was away.

"You're not loosing me. I'll come visit every other weekend, and I'll call everyday. I promise," he said and put his hand on my knee but I pulled away.

"Please," I breathed, biting my lip to try and fight the tears.

"Everyday. Promise," he said and stood up, grabbing his suitcase. He bent and kissed my head but I shoved him away. He recoiled, hurt obvious in his eyes but I didn't relent.

"Okay then, I'll call when I get there," he said and started walking away. He reached the door and opened it before I broke.

"Big brother! Please don't leave me! Please!" I screamed and ran to him, flinging my arms around his waist. He knelt so he could be on the same level as me and I felt a tear hit my shirt and realized he was crying too. "Please."

"Adeline, don't make this harder than it already is. I'll be back, I promise. This is my last year, so I'm all yours after this. You'll get so busy with school and friends; you'll stop answering my calls. Grandmother is taking care of all of the arrangements, you're going to have a great year," he said and got up again. He pulled me off of him and all of my anger rushed out.

"I hate you! This is all your fault! It's your fault mom and dad are dead! And now you are leaving me! You promised you wouldn't!" I was hitting him in the chest with each insult, adding verbal and physical abuse together.

"I love you lil' sister," he said and walked out of the door. I kept screaming and hitting the door, until my anger turned to grief and I slumped against it, crying.

"Adeline Walsh. What on earth are you carrying on about?" My grandmother, Emily Grayson, asked as she walked in the room. "Why are you on the floor? Get up, you look like common trash, sprawled on the ground like that. Come on now, I'll show you your room," she said in a cold monotone.

My grandmother was a stereotype straight off of a bad television sitcom. She and grandfather were wealthy and lived like it. They had maids and chefs and a gardener, everything. Their house was enormous, even though it was just them and my mother had been an only child. I didn't really know them that well, they and my mother hadn't gotten along that well after she left home and they despised my father so we never visited them much.

Now she was glaring at me with eyes that looked like they were peering into my soul and seeing every wrong thing I'd ever done. She put her hands on her bony hips, making her even more intimidating. I wiped at my eyes with my hand, getting tears and snot all over me. I saw her nose wrinkle in disgust as I stood up.

"You are so skinny, we are going to have to fix that. Come on now," she said and started walking away, heels clinking on the hard floor. I was hyperaware of how out of place I looked in my cut-off, tank, and converses. "This is your room. You have your own bathroom. Shane put your suitcases up here earlier so I'll send someone up to unpack them. Dinner will be in an hour, don't be late," she said and opened the door to a room that was bigger than mine and Shane's rooms combined.

There was a huge canopy bed in the middle of the room, a desk with a computer and lamp on it in the corner, a dresser and vanity along one wall. But what I fell in love with was the window seat and the balcony. There was plush carpet wall to wall and I was so ready to let my feet sink into it.

"Umm, I can unpack myself. There's no need to bother anyone with it," I whispered shyly. I couldn't meet her eyes and just stared at my feet instead.

"Suit yourself. Like I said, don't be late for dinner," she said and turned and walked away.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding and walked into the room hesitantly. My bags were sitting on the bed so I walked over to them. I opened the first one and saw my clothes packed neatly inside. Aunt Macy must have packed them for me. That was daddy's sister, I'd wanted to go with her but Shane told me she had too much on her plate already. Seeing my stuff packed away so neatly and compactly broke down the walls I had managed to build over the past week. New tears started to fall and I climbed onto the too-big bed and curled into a small ball. I sat there like that, trying to control my emotions but I couldn't. Eventually, I fell asleep on the bed, and was late to dinner of course.

The next picture was one that I'd hoped I'd never see again. It was the following summer and Shane had just told me that he was going to the police academy, and naturally I was pissed. I ran out of my grandparents' house and jogged across town to Jamie's house. Jamie was my best friend, he and I had hit it off when I started my new school and had been inseparable ever since.

When I got to his house, I saw two police cars sitting outside and his mother crying on the porch. I froze. I stood in the middle of the street, unable to move at all. Then, his mother saw me.

"Adeline. Sweety, come here," she said and started walking towards me. "Honey, Jamie's...Jamie's gone," she choked out and hugged me. I still couldn't move, my brain wasn't functioning at all. Everything I'd tried to rebuild after loosing my parents and Shane leaving was gone, just like that.

Next came the morning in the hospital after I'd tried to kill myself. I woke up groggily, the sedative creating a fog in my brain. I looked around the small room, not really remembering anything. I looked down and saw my hands strapped to the bed and thick gauze wrapped around my aching wrists. I looked beside me and saw Shane asleep in a chair, looking at the ground.

"Addie?" He asked when he looked up. My throat was dry so I couldn't really answer him. "Oh thank God, you scared the shit outta me kiddo," he said and grabbed my hand gently. There were tears in his eyes and I had to turn away to stop myself from crying too.

"Why are you here?" I croaked.

"What do you mean? Why do you think I'm here? I'm here for you," he said, anger sparking in his eyes.

"Really? That's new," I said. I knew I was being a bitch but I couldn't help it. I was still pissed at him for leaving me.

"That's not fair Addie, and you know it," he responded harshly, dropping my hand.

"Miss Walsh. It's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" A chipper nurse asked as she walked in the room.

"Fine."

"Well that's good. Now, I'm just going to give you some more pain medicine. It'll make you sleepy, but that's okay because you need your rest," she continued and started fiddling with the IV beside my bed. She left and Shane and I sat in silence as I started drifting off.

I was woken up from my dreams by being lifted. I opened my eyes, instantly afraid and going into attack mode, but I saw it was Daryl and I relaxed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. You just didn't look very comfortable there," he said gruffly and I swear I saw him blush. He sat me back on my feet gently and I stretched. My neck and shoulders were stiff and sore from the awkward position I'd been in.

"It's okay. I'm a light sleeper," I said with a smile. It was pitch black outside and extremely cold. I briefly wondered how long I'd been asleep but then I remembered the scratches. I quickly started assessing how I felt and whether I was showing any symptoms. I felt fine. I touched a hand to my forehead, no fever.

"What is it?" Daryl asked with an arched brow. I realized I must look insane and instantly dropped my hands.

"Nothing. That's just it. I don't feel anything. Look, no fever," I said and picked up his hand and placed it on my forehead. I became a bit embarrassed about my boldness but Daryl didn't' say anything. I saw his eyes grow wide and then he dropped his hand.

"Damn. You're right. Nothing," he said a little bewildered. I felt my heart beating quickly but didn't dare get my hopes up.

"Maybe it just hasn't had time," I said and looked down.

"I don't think so. You would feel something by now. Lemme see," he said and grabbed my arm, gently rolling up the sleeve. They were still there but I could see small scabs beginning to form over them. "Well I'll be damned. Blondie was right," he said and I saw a smile spread across his face.

I let out a shaky breath. No way. There was no way I was that lucky, not with the world the way it is now. I felt a smile of my own form and in a moment of pure happiness and relief and flung my arms around Daryl and hugged him tightly. He stiffened at first but then I felt his arms slip around my waist. I heard the screen door open and pulled away in surprise. Shane was standing there giving me a befuddled look.

"What's all this?" He asked and walked closer to me.

"No fever," I said with a smile. It was amazing how light I felt. I saw Shane's eyes widen before he came closer. He inspected me closely before hugging me. He crushed me to his chest and I hugged him back, feeling closer to him than I had in days.

"Unbelievable," he said after pulling away.

"You really think I'm going to let something like a walker take me down. Please," I said, still trying to come off of my adrenaline high.

"I guess not," he said and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Come on, you better get some sleep. We're going out to look for Rick, Glenn, and Hershel at first light," he said and started leading me towards my tent. I looked back at Daryl who was looking at me. I smiled at him before letting Shane lead me away.

_A/N: Also, I forgot to mention, I'm going to be going back and doing some editing in the earlier chapters so you'll probably see e-mails talking about a new chapter, but that's what it will be. No plot changes or anything, just grammar and typos, things like that. _


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: Hey everyone! As always, thanks for all of your reviews and support, keep it up! Please remember to go vote on the poll on my profile. I'll be closing it on Monday morning around seven, so please vote if you haven't. Anyways, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!_

Light came too quickly. I never went back to sleep, too stung up to relax. I think I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, nothing in my past experiences led to me believe that I could be so lucky. But here I was. I got dressed in a black tank top and jeans, not sure what the weather would be today. I yanked on my boots, pulled my hair into a high pony, and stood up. After another moment of thought, I grabbed Daryl's jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. I breathed in the scent of it. It smelt like pine and smoke, like Daryl. Soon, I became too anxious to sit in my tent any longer and walked outside. The sun was just starting to peek out from over the horizon, it would be about another hour or so before we hit the road.

I saw a familiar figure sitting on the porch so I walked up to it.

"Hey," I said to Carl. "What are you doing out here by yourself so early?"

"Just wanted to be alone," he said and his eyes instantly trailed to my arm and then back to my eyes. I gave him a smile, a real one, and he looked at me in disbelief. "Really?" He asked and I nodded. He jumped up and hugged me and I briefly though about how many hugs I had received lately.

"Yep, didn't think a little walker could take me out did ya?" I asked, echoing my comment to Shane. I sat down beside him and looked at him. He'd changed since all of this started. There was something different in the way he walked and acted, I guess it was just him having to grow up too soon. He definitely wasn't the same kid he was a year ago.

"Do you think dad's going to be okay?" He asked suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Kiddo, your dad is one tough guy and if anyone is going to survive this, it's going to be him. He had a lot to fight for after all," I said and ruffled his hair. I definitely wasn't going to let my personal feelings of Rick's leadership interfere with this conversation.

"Why have you been so angry at him lately?" He asked and I started chewing on my bottom lip. Of course Carl would have noticed the way I'd been acting towards Rick, everyone had.

"Things have just been crazy lately, I guess it's easier to handle if you take it out on someone else," I chose my words very carefully, not wanting to lie to him but not wanting to make him angry either. He nodded so I knew he was satisfied with the answer.

The sun was shining brightly now, having completely risen. I was squinting against the harsh light and saw a silhouette heading towards us. I smiled when I could finally identify my brother. I stood up and ran to him. He caught me easily and laughed.

"I swear you act like a kid," he said but there was a playful tone in his voice. I laughed, a ringing, free laugh. It felt nice.

"Come on, we'll be leaving in a little bit," He said and wrapped his arms around my shoulder and we walked back up to the house together.

"Who all is going?" I asked him.

"You, Andrea, T-Dog, Daryl, and me," he said easily. I started calculating in my head.

"That doesn't leave a lot of muscle here. What if something happens?" I asked. That only left Lori, Carol, Carl, and Hershel's family here.

"I don't plan on being gone long. We find 'em and we get out. Jimmy's here, he can cover it for one day," Shane said but I saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes.

"Whatever you say," I resigned as we walked into the house.

"Morning," Patricia said from the kitchen. I smiled at her then glanced at Shane without realizing it. I dropped my eyes after that, not wanting to think about Otis and Shane.

"Morning," I said back and I saw Shane nod at her.

"I packed some things for your trip. There's a bag on the counter," she said and gestured to a messenger bag that was stuffed with food and bottled water.

"Thank you, that's very kind," I said sincerely and retrieved the bag. I slung it over my shoulder despite its weight. She smiled in answer and we walked out.

When we walked back outside I saw Daryl and T-Dog next to one of the cars with the trunk open. Andrea was over by the RV talking with Dale who seemed to be upset about something. I'd have to remember to talk with him later. We walked over to them and I sat the bag in the trunk.

"Here," Shane said and handed me my gun. I nodded to him and stuck it in my waistband. He walked to the front of the car to check on gas and everything, the last thing we needed was to break down in the middle of the trip.

"Hey. See you're still breathing," Daryl said with a smirk and I smiled back. I felt heat creeping into my cheeks, though, at the thought of last night.

"Adeline?" Andrea called from a few feet away, making her way over to us.

"Guess you were right," I told her with a smile. She smiled back and gave me a hug and I was again struck by how many of those I had received lately.

"Guys," she said and handed T-Dog a bag to put in the trunk. Then I heard something, it sounded like an engine. I turned towards the road and saw the truck Rick and Glenn had taken pulling up.

They drove right past us up to the front door. Rick jumped out first and I saw Carl running off of the porch into his arms. We were all heading over to them quickly, waiting to see if everyone was okay. Glenn and Hershel both got out simultaneously, shutting the car doors with a unified click. Maggie came running out but ran right past her dad and right into Glenn's arms. Glenn pushed her away gently and I was surprised by the action. I was close enough now to hear Rick asking Lori about her cuts.

"Who the hell is that?" T-Dog asked and pointed to the car where a strange boy was sitting. He had a rag tied around his eyes and he was moaning in pain making every alarm in my head go off.

"That's Randall," Glenn said. I looked to Shane and I saw him and Rick exchanging a look. We all started dispersing but Rick wanted to talk to us all in the dining room once Hershel finished tending to Randall, who apparently had been injured. We all agreed and then separated. Most everyone went on in the house, looking for a little relief from the sun. I was about to head that way with Shane when I saw Daryl and decided to hang back.

"Hey," I said and walked over to him.

"Hey. See you're still wearing the jacket," he said and for some reason that made me blush.

"Uh, yeah. You can have it back you know," I told him, reaching to take it off but he shook his head.

"Nah, it looks better on you anyways," he said and my blush deepened at the unexpected compliment.

"Thanks. So what do you think about this whole Randall issue?" I asked him, trying to change the subject into something more comfortable.

"Don't really care honestly. Just seems like something else for Rick and Shane to fight about," he said with a shrug. I bit my lip at the mention of my brother. I was aware that they didn't get along but I definitely wasn't comfortable with him insulting him. But that hadn't been an insult, so I kept talking.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm more worried about what we are going to do. I mean, Hershel still hasn't talked to us about the barn incident," I rambled. As I did, I hit the jacket with my arm and a piece of paper fluttered out of the pocket and landed next to Daryl's feet. My breath caught, it was the drawing of him.

He bent over nimbly to pick it up for me and I prayed he wouldn't open it. That prayer went unanswered when a light ruffle of wind blew the edge of the paper open and Daryl saw part of the sketch. He unfolded the paper and looked at it, all the while I was staring at the ground, not wanting to see his reaction.

"I didn't know you could draw," was all he said after a moment. I let out a breath when I looked up and saw a playful smirk on his face.

"I told you, Dixon, there' s a lot you don't know about me," I joked, back in familiar territory now.

"Apparently. It's pretty good. You have any other drawings?" He asked after inspecting the sketch for another second.

"Um, yeah. I have my sketchbook in my tent. Why?" I asked. There were times I simply couldn't follow Daryl's line of thought.

"Can I see them? Or are they embarrassing or something?" He asked and even though I knew he was joking, I still blushed a little. I'd been doing that a lot lately.

"Yes. I mean, no they aren't embarrassing, yeah you can see them if you want," I babbled and he smiled. "Just, come on," I said and grabbed his hand and pulled him towards my tent. I surprised myself by being so nonchalant about grabbing his hand but he surprised me more by not pulling away.

We both ducked into my tent and I rifled around in my bag for the book. It was very worn but it served its purpose. I handed him the book as he sat down on the floor. He opened it on his lap and I sat next to him. The first picture was of my parents. I smiled at the sight of them laughing and sitting on a blanket at dad's company picnic.

"Those are my parents," I told him when he looked at me.

"You've never talked about your parents," he noted and I nodded.

"They died when I was fourteen," I told him and he looked down. "I drew this a week before they died. I was going to give it to them for their anniversary," I found myself saying before I could stop. It was so easy to talk to Daryl.

"You look like your mom," he said and I couldn't help but smile. He was so random sometimes. He turned the page then and there was a random landscape in dark colors and crude lines.

"These are from the months after my parents' death. Drawing was how I coped," I explained with a shrug as he thumbed through the pages of depressing sketches. Then there was a picture of Jamie. He was sitting on the back of his truck, trying to fix some random gadget.

"Who's that?" Daryl asked when he noticed the look on my face.

"Jamie. Jamie Stevens. He was my best friend. After my parents died, I moved in with my grandparents and they enrolled me in some preppy school. I was all alone there until I met Jamie. His dad was some hot-shot lawyer who paid for him to go to school there so his mom didn't sue him for child support," I said with an eye-roll. I'd met his dad once, and that was more than enough.

"What happened?" He asked.

"He died," I said simply and I saw Daryl frown. Then he turned the page again and there was a lot more landscapes, but these weren't the depressing and gloomy ones from before. These were vibrant and alive. I smiled at the familiar drawings of my backyard, the woods behind my grandparents' house, the school, everything.

He turned the page again and I thought I would be sick. I had forgotten about that drawing, how had I forgotten. I jumped up, causing Daryl to jump too, and bolted from the tent faster than should have been possible. I kept running until my legs gave out in the middle of the field and I doubled over and puked. After emptying the entire contents of my stomach, I kept heaving for a while and I thought I might pass out.

"Addie?" Daryl's voice called softly and I tensed. I didn't want him to see this. I didn't want to have to explain. "Are you okay?" He knelt beside me, giving me some room.

"I'm fine," I said curtly. "Leave me alone."

"You want me to go get your brother?" He asked. I shook my head. No way was I going to tell Shane about this.

"What's wrong? You know you can tell me," I looked up and saw those beautiful blue eyes, so full of concern and sincerity. I refused to break this time though. No way. I pushed myself up and stood very straight. I put on my iciest glare and directed it at him.

"I said I'm fine," I said. He looked a bit shocked but I saw him retreating instantly at the harshness in his tone. His eyes went from being opened and concerned to being guarded. I hated watching that transformation but I couldn't break down another wall. Not this one. If this one fell, I would crumble. So instead of giving myself a chance to be persuaded, I walked away.

I walked quickly but didn't run, and I didn't, not once, look back.


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N: Just a short filler chapter! I'm already working on the next one, so don't worry; there's plenty more coming. As always, please review, I love hearing your suggestions!_

I walked into the dining room and everyone except Daryl was already there. Shane looked at me and I tried to put on a smile so he wouldn't be suspicious. All of the chairs were occupied so I leaned against the wall and listened.

"We couldn't just leave him behind. He would've bled out, if he lived that long," Rick said, immediately defending his decision.

"It's gotten bad in town," Glenn added, looking at Maggie.

"What do we do with him?" Andrea asked.

"I repaired his calf muscle as best I can, but he'll probably have nerve damage," Hershel spoke up from his spot. "Won't be on his feet for at least a week."

"When he is we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, and send him on his way," Rick said as Daryl opened the door and walked in. He looked at me and I quickly averted my gaze, refusing to go back to that dark place.

"Isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers?" Andrea piped up again. I had to give the girl credit; she was keeping Rick on his toes.

"He'll have a fighting chance," Rick interjected quickly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daryl walk over and sit on top of an old trunk.

"Just gonna let him go? He knows where we are," Shane said, looking at Rick like he had lost his mind.

"He was blindfolded the whole way here. He's not a threat," Rick assured with a hard look.

"Not a threat? How many of them were there? You killed three of their men, you took one of them hostage, but they just a'int gonna come looking?" Shane continued and I was aware that I had missed some of the story.

"They left him for dead. No one is looking," Rick practically roared, trying to show his authority.

"We should still post a guard," Andrea piped in again from her spot next to Shane.

"He's out cold for now. Will be for hours," Hershel said and I saw Shane's anger on his face.

"You know what? I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy. Look at this folks, we back in fantasy land!" He snapped and started walking out of the room, brushing past me as he did.

"You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet. Let me make this clear, once and for all—this is my farm. Now I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favor and keep your mouth shut," Hershel said, walking up to Shane. I tensed up and took a couple steps forward before Shane put a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't waste your breath sister," he said and turned and walked out.

"We're not going to do anything about it today. Let's just cool off," Rick said, dismissing us. Andrea walked out first, and I followed close behind. I heard the door bang again and turned my head to see Daryl walking up the hill.

I sighed, I knew I would have to fix things eventually, but not now. I had a lot of things I wanted to do today but when I saw Dale walking out, I knew which one to do first.

"Hey Adeline," he said with a smile as I approached. I returned it rather easily, but wasn't sure if it would be that way once this conversation was done.

"Hey Dale. I wanted to talk to you, if you don't mind," I said and his smile dropped.

"That's good, because I've been wanting to talk with you too. Come on," he said and led me over to the RV.

"You first," I told him once we reached it. He sighed, then started.

"I know this isn't going to be easy, but I need to talk with you about Shane. Something's going on with him, I'm sure you've noticed it. I don't know what happened that night with Otis, but something changed then and he hasn't been the same since. Now, I think he's becoming a danger, and I need you to keep an eye on him. You're closest to him, obviously, and he trusts you. So watch him," Dale's words came out in a rush, just like my temper.

"Dale. Shane is my brother. He's all I have left. Now, I know he's been a little cranky lately, but he has a right to be," I said, rather calm considering the anger inside me. "But that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I see the way you look at him, like he's a monster or something. Why?"

"You'll be angry, but…I think Shane killed Otis. Before you start, he practically admitted it; pretty much threw it in my face. I didn't want to believe it, but I can't deny what's right in front of me. My eyes widened and I felt my heart start to beat faster. Dale must have thought it was from anger, but really it was from fear. If Dale knew, did everyone else know too?

"How dare you!" I spat out, having to keep up the façade. He looked saddened but I couldn't think about that, not now. I turned and walked off, glad that I had a valid excuse to use. After that, I wasn't sure if I was up for my next task, but I pushed myself forward and back into the house.

"Rick?" I called when I walked in.

"Adeline?" He called back and came into my line of sight.

"Um, can I talk with you for a second?" I asked him, feeling anxious.

"Sure," he said, looking at me curiously before leading me over to the table and taking a seat. I did the same, sitting across from him.

"Look, this isn't easy for me to say, so I'm just going to say it and you're going to listen, okay?" I barked out, taking him by surprise. "I've been thinking, and the way I've been acting towards you isn't fair. I guess I'm just stressed about everything and it was so easy to take it out on you because you weren't here. Don't get me wrong, you're still an idiot sometimes, but not _all_ the time. You've gotten us this far, so I'm going to start trusting you more," I rambled, not comfortable at all with the situation. Rick smiled, a real smile I hadn't seen in a while.

"You know Addie, I'm so glad you didn't turn into a flesh-eating monster. Something tells me I would have been the first to go," he laughed and I didn't even yell at him for calling me Addie. "What happened between us? You and I used to be so close," he said and I felt my walls snap back up.

"You know what happened," I deadpanned, all joking gone. Why was this ghost haunting me today? "I really don't want to talk about this. I said what I have to say," I replied and shot up, getting ready to bolt out of the door.

"I'm sorry about that, you know. I never meant…I didn't know…" he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence and I nodded.

"I know, but it still happened," I said and walked off.


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N: Another short chapter. I decided to break it in half, so the other part will probably be up later today if I can finish editing it. As always, thanks for all of your reviews and feedback, they make me smile! Also, remember to go vote in the poll on my profile, it'll be closed Monday morning. Without further delay, Chapter 27!_

Dale, check. Rick, check. That left one more person on my agenda for today. Shane. I saw him talking with Andrea near the shed where they were holding Randall.

"Hey," I said to him once I made it over to where they were.

"Hi, what's up? You look upset," he said and nodded to Andrea as she walked away.

"I'm fine," I said and pulled him to the side, making sure Andrea was out of earshot before continuing. "We need to talk."

"About what?" He asked, genuinely confused.

"About you. And Otis. And Dale," I said, feeling the gravity of the situation for the first time. I saw his guard go up but I didn't pause because I knew I'd loose my nerve if I did.

"What's going on with you? Seriously?" I asked and put my hands on my hips, trying to look intimidating.

"We've talked about this…"

"No, we haven't. You brushed me off by dropping that bombshell about Otis on me. I get that it messed with your head, but there's something else. You've changed," I interrupted him and stared him down. I wasn't going to let him get out of this.

"Are you sure it's me who's changed?" He asked, taking me completely off guard.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and instantly becoming defensive.

"It means, you aren't exactly the same as you were a week ago. You've become awful friendly with the rest of the group, especially Dixon. You keep telling me there is nothing going on, but I catch you two all alone, hugging, you're wearing his jacket," he said, grabbing the sleeve of the coat to emphasize his point.

"That's not the point, quit trying to change the subject," I said, getting flustered.

"You're changing the subject too. You say I haven't been talking with you, well it works both ways Adeline," he said in an icy voice that made me take a step back.

"Why are being like this?" I asked him with a hard glare.

"Like what?"

"Like…"

"Like what, Adeline?" He nearly yelled at me.

"Like a jackass!" I yelled back at him, shoving him in the chest since he had invaded my personal space.

We started screaming at each other then, nonsense yelling and fighting. Then, he grabbed my arms and pinned them to my sides and got in my face.

"Listen to me, Adeline. I am your brother, family. Your priorities have gotten really screwed up lately, and you need to put them back in perspective, before it's too late," he hissed at me. For the first time in my life, I was genuinely afraid of my brother. Even though I knew deep down that Shane would never hurt me, I was scared of him right now.

"Shane, you're hurting me," I whimpered as his grip on my arms tightened. For a moment, he just looked at me and his eyes were empty, then he came back and he let go of me. Apparently, he'd had me lifted off the ground because when he released me, I fell back down.

"Adeline, I—I'm," he trailed off and rubbed his face with his hand. I felt tears spring into my eyes as I looked at my brother.

"What happened to you?" I asked him and walked off.

"Addie!" I heard him call but that just made me start running.

By the time I made it back to the front of the house, I was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. I saw Daryl heading out into the woods and my first inclination was to run after him and tell him what happened, then I remembered that I couldn't. I groaned and flopped down in the yard, pulling my knees up to my chest and putting my head in my hands. Then I stood up and marched into my tent.

I saw my sketchbook lying on the ground where Daryl must have left it. It was opened to the last picture in the book, Shane, Rick, and me. I'd drawn this from a photograph of us after my first day of gun training. We were all smiling and they had me lifted up on their shoulders. I ran my hand over the page, trying to draw on that memory. I flipped the page and picked up a pencil and started to draw again.

I drew a self-portrait. I drew myself standing outside by a body of water on a foggy night, looking out into the distance with the wind blowing my hair around. It was a beautiful picture, but something about it felt odd. That's when I realized I had drawn myself holding a crossbow in one hand and a necklace in the other. My hand instantly went up to my neck to grab the familiar chain. It had been my mother's and Shane had given it to me before he left to go back to college that year. I groaned. Shane and Daryl and wiggled themselves into my picture. It was amazing how well it illustrated my current situation. I was torn between them, feeling like they couldn't co-exist in my life. And now I felt lost and secluded from both of them.

"Adeline?" A voice called from outside my tent so I walked over and opened the flap. It was Carol. "I was just going to let you know, dinner's ready if you want to come eat," she smiled sweetly and I returned it after closing the book.

"Thanks," I said and walked out of the tent. I followed her to the house and sat down at the table, thankful that neither Daryl nor Shane were there.

"Joining us tonight, then?" Lori asked with a smirk and I looked up from my plate and glared at her.

"Yes," I said in my sweetest voice and plastered a smile on my face.

"Where is Shane?" She asked and I nearly choked in anticipation for my comeback. Then I looked at Rick sitting next to her and bit my tongue.

"Not sure," I said instead and went back to eating. I didn't join in their incessant chatter, but I did listen. It was amazing how comfortable they all were. It was like this was our home and we were having a normal dinner, something I could get used to.

As soon as dinner was over, I rushed outside and into my tent. I didn't want to talk to anyone else, I just wanted to curl up and sleep. And that is what I did. I fell asleep almost instantly and, amazingly, no nightmares plagued my sleep.

The next morning came with a bright sun and warm air rushing into my tent. I jumped up as I sensed someone's presence. It was Shane. I groaned and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"What?" I snapped.

"Please, just listen. I want to apologize. I-I don't know what's going on with me Addie, I just keep lashing out and I can't stop. I never meant to hurt you, or yell at you. I just- I need you right now baby sister. I feel like I'm loosing you, and I cannot handle that. Lori, I can get over her, but not you. You're all the family I have left. Please, forgive me," his eyes were pleading and no matter how hard I tried to stay angry, it was in vain. _Shane is my brother_. Isn't that what I'd told Dale? So now it was time to start acting like it. He was the most important thing in the world to me, and I wasn't going to let anything screw that up.

I walked over to him, stared him down, and then flung my arms around him. "I love you," I whispered against his chest. I knew that it shouldn't be like this, that I shouldn't let him off the hook, shouldn't be okay with everything that had happened, but I was.

"I love you too," he whispered back and I was glad that at least one of my problems was resolved. Now just a million more to go.


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry I didn't get this up yesterday, internet problems. Anyway, I would like to thank everyone who voted in the poll, which is now closed. Feel free to pm me or leave a review with your opinion however, it is most welcome. Also, any of you who are fans of the Inheritance Cycle, please go check out my friend Zale136's story. She is an amazing writer and you will not be disappointed, and I'm not just saying that because she's my best friend :) Anyways, please read and review, those make my day!_

The next three days passed in lazy bliss. Randall was guarded at all times, but he was usually asleep, still recovering from his injury but Rick was getting anxious and was planning on taking him out today. I spent most of my time with Shane and Rick patrolling the woods and working on making sure the perimeter of the farm was secure. We were pretty sure there was no way those guys could find us, but we had to take precautions. I didn't talk to Daryl at all, and that seemed to be just fine with him. Any time we crossed paths he would just duck his head and walk away. Every time he did, it was like a knife in my heart but I refused to crack.

"Addie!" Shane yelled from his position on the porch. I turned around and walked back over to him.

"Yeah?" I asked, shielding my eyes from the sun.

"We're getting ready to hit the road. You sure you don't want to come?" He asked me. I had opted to stay at the farm while they went. I didn't really want to spend hours stuck in a car with Rick and Shane arguing.

"I'm sure."

"Alright then, I'll see you when we get back," he said and gave me a hug. Things had been better the last few days, Shane had been more like himself, like the old him. He was still unsure about letting Randall go, but there hadn't been any more freak-outs.

"Okay, be careful out there," I said and gave him a quick hug.

"Always," he said and walked over to the car and slung a bag inside. Rick came walking out with Randall in tow, blindfolded and tied up. They shoved him in the trunk and hopped in the car, taking off.

Once they were gone I walked over to the stables. I'd spent a lot of time here the last few days and Hershel had told me I could take them out as long as I stayed close to the farm. When I walked in I saw Daryl sitting on a hay bale polishing a saddle.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, slightly annoyed. This was my sanctuary from the world outside and now here he was invading it.

"What's it look like. Why you care anyway?" He asked and I sighed and crossed my arms.

"I don't care okay," I retorted and walked over to the stall that held the horse I had taken out that first day, Nightmare. I thought the name was hilariously ironic but we had bonded so I usually took her out.

I opened the stall and petted her nose and mumbled sweet encouragements in her ear. I grabbed her saddle from a tack on the wall and quickly secured it around her. She stamped her feet in anticipation for the ride. I heard Daryl snort from behind me and turned around quickly and fixed him with an icy glare.

"Something funny?" I asked harshly.

"Yeah. You two really are a match," he said and looked up at me with a smile. I turned away so that smile wouldn't melt me.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, not sure whether to be offended or flattered.

"It means, you are both stubborn and free-spirited. She's chomping at the bit to get out there and run, and so are you," he said and I turned back towards him when I heard him stand. My heart started beating a little faster at the tone of his voice.

Daryl was walking towards me, the saddle lying forgotten by the hay bale. Without thinking about it, I took a couple steps towards him too. He was close enough that I could breathe in his scent, that delicious scent. I had missed him so much the last few days, there was so much I wanted to talk to him about. Maybe I could fix things and not have to break that wall. He'd respect those boundaries wouldn't he?

"Oh. Well, um, thanks, I think," I stuttered out. Now he was at the entrance of the stall and was leaning against the doorway. "Um, look, I'm sorry about freaking out the other day. It's just, there's a lot you don't know about me."

"So I've heard," he interrupted and I saw a smirk on his face but the guard in his eyes was dropping slightly.

"Well, there's some things I don't want you to know, things you _can't _know, but I don't want to shut you out either. You're the only person I can talk to, I've missed talking to you," I said with a blush. I knew he wasn't comfortable with this sentimental stuff, neither was I really, but I had to say it.

"Don't go getting all emotional on me. A'int nothing changed, you can still talk to me," he said and I felt a huge weight lift off of my chest. I smiled widely at him.

"You want to go for a ride?" I asked him gesturing to the horses. He looked at me skeptically. "Oh come on!" I called and walked over to the stall next door and grabbed the saddle. I walked back over to him and shoved it in his arms.

"Persistant little girl aren't ya?" He asked and I laughed.

"Yep, now get a move on," I called back as I finished securing Nightmare's reigns.

A couple minutes later we led the horses outside and were ready to go. I put my foot in the stirrup and swung myself over, sitting tall in the saddle. He did the same and we were sitting side-by-side. His horse was a chocolate brown stallion that looked like he was ready to bolt now. I smiled at him.

"Race ya to the creek!" I called and coaxed Nightmare into a gallop.

"Hey! No fair! That's cheating!" He called and started giving chase. I was laughing like a little girl now, though, flying across the field and into the trees.

I could hear the hoof-beats of the other horse right behind us so I let go of the reigns completely, giving Nightmare control. I gripped her mane to secure myself as she turned on even more speed. I could see the creek just up ahead and when she waded across it, cold water splashed me in the face, causing me to squeal in delight. I pulled her to a stop and Daryl came up right beside me.

"Ha! I win!" I called, completely out of breath.

"You cheated," he accused but was smiling.

I hopped down off of Nightmare and Daryl followed my lead. "Where ya going?" He asked.

"I want to show you something," I replied and grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind me. I led him to a clearing I had found yesterday when I had been scouting with Shane. It was almost completely circular and covered in plush grass. There were even a few wildflowers growing in vibrant colors around the perimeter. "Isn't it great? It looks like something right out of a movie," I said joyously. There were a few tree stumps around it as well, looking like an old gathering place.

I skipped over to one of them and sat down and he did the same, minus the skipping. "So what's new?" I asked him.

"Really? What's new? Well, I don't know, have you heard about those damn dead people who won't stay dead?" He asked and I burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I think someone may have mentioned that," I replied.

"Okay, so what's new with you then?" He asked and I raised my eyebrows.

"Well, I didn't die, so that's something. And, let's see, Shane didn't _totally_ loose his mind the other day and things seem to be better with him now," I said with a nod.

"What do ya mean he didn't _totally_ loose his mind?" He asked mimicking my voice.

"He had a little melt down the other day, that's all. He freaked out when I confronted him about something. But it's okay, he apologized for hurting me," I said with a wave of my hand.

"Wait. He hurt you?" Daryl asked, steel in his voice.

"Oh, it was no big deal, he just grabbed my arms," I said dismissively.

"That is big deal, Addie. He can't just hurt you whenever he feels like it," his voice was cold and I felt a shiver run up my spine.

"Daryl. Really. He apologized, Shane would never hurt me on purpose. He loves me," I spoke calmly and placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay."

"If it happens again…" he trailed off.

"It won't. Now come on, I'll race you back," I called and jumped up. When I ran towards Nightmare, he grabbed me around the waist and picked me up. I was completely shocked but let out a delighted squeal.

"Oh no, you a'int cheating again," he said and sat me back down on the stump. I was laughing and playfully kicked him in the butt when he turned around. He spun around and fixed me with a playful smirk. "Oh you did _not_ just do that," he said and I nodded still laughing.

"Yeah, I think I did," I said. Daryl was being so unlike himself, so carefree and playful, I wasn't ready to let that go.

"Well, you are gonna pay for that," he said and lifted me again. He swept me up like a baby and I stiffened instantly.

"Put me down! Put me down!" I screamed and struggled out of his arms. He looked at me, confusion written all over his face. When he sat me down I sank to my knees and started breathing heavily.

"What is it?" He asked and knelt beside me, an almost mirror image of the other day.

"I-I can't," I stuttered and gripped at my stomach because I felt like I would be sick. I felt traitourous tears roll down my face. Those walls were falling down and I was fighting with every breath to keep them up.

"Addie," he said and placed his hand on my shoulder. For some reason, that gesture broke me and the floodgates opened. I fell apart and put my head on Daryl's shoulder and cried. I felt his arms wrap around me and hug me but I couldn't stop the tears.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I kept muttering over and over again. After a few minutes, the tears stopped and I started wiping my eyes.

"Tell me what I can do," he whispered and I looked in those same blue eyes, but this time, I trusted them too much not to tell them.

"Are you sure you want to know?" I hiccupped out after another moment. He nodded and I sighed and let the past roll over me. Suddenly, I was seventeen again and reliving that night.

After I was discharged from the hospital, Shane demanded that I move in with him and Rick and two of their friends from the police academy. Grandmother fought it at first but relented eventually so it was settled. Shane watched me like a hawk and let me know from the start that he wouldn't tolerate my recent behavior. A part of me still resented him, but a larger part of me respected him so I listened. It took time, but soon my grades started going up and I started making friends again. Shane even convinced me to join the track team at school.

It was perfect since I loved to run so much. Every night after dinner I would go for a run, and that night was no exception. I came back to the house and Shane, Rick, Brad, and Greg were all playing poker at the table. Brad had went to high school with Shane and Rick so I knew him pretty well, but Greg was a stranger. Rick knew him and had convinced Shane to let him stay. He was okay, but he did give me the creeps sometimes. I came in and they all greeted me like normal.

"Hey guys! I'm just going to go get a shower and I'll come down and you can deal me in!" I called and ran upstairs. Shane had moved into the living room so I could have my own room so I walked in and grabbed some clothes before heading to the bathroom across the hall. I turned on the water and undressed and got ready to climb in when I heard a noise outside the door. The knob turned and opened and I yelped before jumping in the shower and hiding behind the curtain.

"Greg! What the hell!" I yelled as he walked through the door.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were in the other bathroom," he said nervously. My heart was pounding radically.

"Well leave," I screetched and he gave me a twisted smile.

"Why? Don't pretend that you aren't interested in me. I see the way you look at me," he said and I felt the adrenaline start pouring in my veins.

"Get out, now!" I demanded but he kept coming closer. He jumped at me, then, grabbing me and covering my mouth so I couldn't scream. My brain shut down after that, going to survival mode, but I couldn't stop him. All I remember is the searing pain and his meanacing smile as he picked me up and sprawled me out on the floor. Then I remember him kissing me and telling me how wonderful I was and leaving the bathroom.

I don't know if he though I would be too afraid to tell or what, but he just left me there. Sometime during the brief struggle, the shower curtain had fallen down and I grabbed it to pull over my naked body. I don't know how long I laid there before I heard a knock at the door.

"Addie? Addie, are you okay?" Shane called but I couldn't answer him. "Adeline, open this door right now! I mean it!" He yelled and started turning the knob. It opened and he walked in. "Adeline! What happened?" He yelled and ran over to me, kneeling beside me. Rick walked in behind him and I saw his eyes widen in shock.

"Rick!" Shane yelled only to turn and see him standing right there. "Go get that scumbag! NOW!" He roared as he lifted me into his arms. I placed my head against his chest and cried. "It's okay darling, you're going to be okay."

He carried me to my room and laid me on the bed, telling me he'd be right back. I don't know what happened in that kitchen, only that Greg spent the next two weeks in the hospital.

I relayed all of this to Daryl with tear filled eyes. After it passed, Shane and I never spoke of it again, an unspoken agreement. Out of sight, out of mind. I dared a glance up at Daryl and I saw his jaw clenched and fists balled.

"Daryl," I whispered and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked quietly.

"It's not exactly something I like to talk about. You're the only person I've ever told, actually," I said with a sniffle.

"So, you up for that race back now?" He asked with a weak smile. I returned it, amazed by how easy it was to talk about this with him.

"Sure," I said and he helped me up from my seat before we walked over to the horses. I hopped onto the mare's back and felt the normal serenity wash over me. Daryl mounted as well and we looked at each other. With a nod, we communicated the start of the race and took off. The horses loved the competition and tore at the ground. I was in the lead when we broke through the trees and the farm came into view. I kept that lead and made it to the stabled a second before Daryl.

"Looks like I win again!" I called as I dismounted and led the horse back into her stall. Daryl followed my lead and fixed me with a smirk. We were back in familiar territory now, but I could see that look in his eyes that said he knew.

"Well, blame the horse, he's a little slow," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Sore loser," I teased as I brushed out Nightmare's coat.

"You still suck at shooting a crossbow," he mumbled and I laughed.

"Yeah, I do. Come on, let's go get something to eat," I said and started walking towards the house.

"Hey! I'll be there later, I need to go see if I can catch some squirrels or something for supper," he called and I nodded, parting ways with him. I walked inside to yet another crap storm that seemed to be plaguing my life lately.


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N: Oh my goodness! I am so super sorry everyone! I have been so busy lately that I have had almost zero time to write/edit. I swear that I've thought about you all everyday and worked my hardest to get this chapter up for you, so thank all of you for your continued support and patience. This chapter is just a filler/awww moments to tide you over until I can start on my next main plot point. Unfortunately, with school being so hectic, I'm not sure how frequently I'll be updating over the next few weeks. But at the bare minimum I swear on my life at least one update a week unless a major catastrophe! Anyway, I'm through babbling now :) Please read and review and enjoy!_

Apparently, Beth had decided to try and kill herself in the wake of the barn incident. That's what all the yelling was about when I walked inside. Maggie was arguing with her sister, loudly, and Andrea and Lori were arguing in the kitchen.

"So go in there and tell that little girl everything will be okay. She'll get a husband, a son, a baby…boyfriend. She just has to look on the bright side," Andrea's voice rang out and I heard Lori's jaw hit the floor. No one (except me, and I had always been a lost cause) spoke to her like that. Andrea walked out of the kitchen and past me, giving me a smile, which I returned. I was really starting to like that girl.

"Adeline? Is that you?" Lori called and I sighed before walking into the kitchen.

"Yeah," I said and leaned against the doorframe.

"Will you please take these clothes and hang them out to dry?" She asked, gesturing to a basket of laundry sitting on the counter. I fixed her with a look and she sighed. "I need to keep an eye on Beth plus cook supper, please. Could you pitch in just this once and do something useful?" She asked and a small fire sparked within me.

"Shut up Lori. 'Pitching in' isn't sitting around playing house all day. It's out there scouting and protecting the camp, not making sure the pillows are all fluffed before we go to bed. Get a clue. The world has ended and you can't just sit around on your ass all day doing nothing," I snapped before turning and walking out of the kitchen.

I had suddenly lost my appetite and decided to go find Daryl in the woods. I treaded carefully and kept a sharp eye. I found him in some dense brush, crouching.

"Walk any louder and you'll scare the entire woods away," he whispered and I stopped.

"Wow, you have good ears," I said and crouched next to him.

"No, you walk loud enough to wake the dead. No pun intended," he said with a smirk. "Now hush up before you scare off the squirrels." I did as I was told and remained silent, watching him scan the area for prey. When he finally saw a squirrel scampering up the tree, he lifted his crossbow and fired a bolt. It went still immediately and he got up.

"That should be enough for today. I got three more in my bag," he said and patted the bag around his shoulder for emphasis.

"Good, because this is not how I like to spend my time," I joked and he smiled.

"Girl can kill walkers without blinking, but kill a squirrel in front of her and she gets all squeamish," he retorted and I fixed him with a playful scowl.

"Walkers are not cute and fluffy," I countered which only made him laugh.

"Yeah, and you can't eat 'em either."

"Fine. Whatever. I don't have to like it," I said.

"What are you doing out here anyways? Thought you were eating," he said and I frowned at the memory of Lori.

"Queen Bee was on her soap box so I didn't want to be around," I told him with a shrug.

"Sounds about right," he said and spit on the ground before shoving the squirrel in his bag. "Wanna help me skin them?" He asked and I crinkled my nose slightly.

"Seriously?" I asked and he rolled his eyes.

"Come on princess, there a'int nothing to it," he said and started walking back towards the farm. I followed behind him and we made it back in no time. He kept going up to his new residence on the other side of the hill and I went with him. When we got there, he sat on the old stove and pulled out his knife.

"Come on, sit down," he said, gesturing to the seat next to him. I sat easily and he handed me another knife, not quite as sharp but still deadly. "Now watch," he instructed and started demonstrating how to properly skin a squirrel.

"Oh, that's disgusting!" I squealed and he smirked in devilish delight.

"Fine princess, I'll do it later," he said and put it away. I breathed a sigh of relief and handed him his knife back. "So, what's Queen Lori bitching about now?" He asked, a smooth change of topic.

"No idea really. Something's going on with Beth and she and Andrea got into it so who knows," I shrugged.

"Same old same old huh?" He asked and I nodded.

"But let's not get into all that. I've had enough of her drama for a lifetime," I said with a humorless laugh. "Hey, want to go for a swim? It's actually warm today and that pond looks heavenly," I said and stood up.

"Sure," he said and stood too. I started walking towards the pond when I was suddenly lifted off of my feet.

I squealed as he started running with me thrown over his shoulder. When we reached the edge of the pond he jumped and we both went flying through the air and crashed into the water. He let go of me when we went into the water so I swam easily to the surface. I shook my hair and water splayed everywhere. Daryl surfaced a second later and was grinning from ear to ear, laughing evilly.

"So, is the water as 'heavenly' as you thought?" He asked and I scowled at him playfully.

I splashed him quickly and he got a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Oh, you should not have done that," he said and quickly ducked under the water. I looked for him but the murky water made it difficult to see. Suddenly, I was being lifted out of the water. Daryl was standing with me on his shoulders. I screeched and laughed.

"Apologize!" He called.

"Never!" I yelled back with a laugh. He reached up and grabbed my arms, and started to fall backwards. I yelled as we went flying into the water. When we resurfaced, he let me down.

I started floating on my back easily, swimming across the pond. I stood up and saw Daryl floating as well. I smirked and quietly waded over to him. I jumped up and landed on top of him, sending him under and springing up, but not before he grabbed my arms and yanked me down with him.

"Nice try," he said when he was back on his feet.

We continued in this way for a long time. Playing, splashing, and talking. I loved seeing him like this, carefree and open. Finally, when the temperature started dropping, I pulled myself out of the water and onto a rock nearby. I started wringing out my hair that had come undone by this point. He followed me out of the water and sat beside me, dripping with water like me.

"Patricia is never going to let us in the house like this," I said, gesturing to our soaked and muddy clothes.

"We'll dry quickly, sun's still out," he said, looking up at the sky. I pulled my hair back messily and wrung out my t-shirt too. I stood up and he did too.

"We better get back. If Shane gets back and I'm not there, he'll freak out," I said, trying to gage how long we had been out here. Daryl nodded and started leading the way back to the farm. We walked back over to his new residence and sat in the sun to dry.

By this point, my shorts were mostly dry but my shirt was soaked.

"Here," Daryl said and held out one of his button-up shirts from his bag.

"You sure? Keep this up and I'll have more of your clothes than you do," I laughed but took it anyway because a chill had started creeping up my spine.

"It's okay, they look better on you," he said and I smiled at him. I got up and went behind the tree line. I pulled the wet shirt over my head and tossed it to the ground before sliding on the way too big shirt and buttoning it up. It hung loosely around my frame, giving no flattery but covering everything well enough. The sleeves hung down on my small arms so I rolled them up a few times and used a hair band to tie the shirt up and make it fit a little better. Once I was satisfied I picked up my shirt and walked back over to Daryl.

"Yeah, it definitely looks much better on you," he said and I blushed a little. I flopped back down beside him and pulled off my boots to let them dry as well.

I heard the roar of an engine and looked out towards the road and saw a car rolling up into the drive.

"They're back," I said with a smile and started running down the hill. A look over my shoulder showed Daryl following, though much more slowly. I reached the car as soon as it parked and Rick climbed out of the driver's seat. He looked ragged and had cuts on his face. Shane got out next and I saw blood on him as well. My heart sank as I looked between them. Then, I noticed Randall sitting in the back seat.

"Wait, what is he doing back here?" I asked, very confused by the situation.

"Long story Ads, tell you later," Rick murmured and I wrinkled my nose at the old nickname. "Take him to the barn," that was directed at Daryl who had joined us now. He nodded once and yanked open the car door, pulled him out, and started dragging him towards the barn.

"Addie, you okay?" Shane asked, looking worn and walking around to stand in front of me. "What are you wearing?" He asked, seeing my new attire.

"I'm fine, what about you? What happened out there?" I asked, avoiding the second question.

"Nothing important. Rick just chickened out, of course," he rolled his eyes and leaned against the car. I looked up to where Rick was walking back up to the house and Lori was waiting on him. I bit my tongue to stop from commenting, deciding to stay neutral in this argument.

"That cut looks bad, let's go clean it up," I said and tugged on his arm but he wouldn't budge.

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone," he said and pulled his arm back, shocking me.

"What is it?" I asked him, a little hurt by his outburst.

"I said nothing," he snapped and marched off towards his tent. I watched him duck inside and then turned around. Daryl was walking back towards me, Randall locked inside the barn.

"Hey!" He called and held out something as he approached. As he got closer, I realized it was my shirt. I must have dropped it when I ran to the car.

"Thanks," I said with a half-hearted smile and took it from him. I wrapped my arms around my chest, a physical manifestation of my nervousness and hurt.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a furrowed brow.

"Nothing," I said, trying to put on a convincing smile but I could tell by the look on his face that I wasn't fooling him. "Shane's in a mood again," I said dismissively.

"Did he hurt you?" Daryl asked, a flash of anger in his eyes.

"No!" I said quickly. "No he didn't hurt me. He wouldn't," I near, whispered the last part, wondering what was going on with him. He nodded and placed a hand on my shoulder gently.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be okay," I could tell he was a little uncomfortable with the emotional topic and smiled at him for trying to help.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said and looked up at him. His eyes were blazing and I found myself falling into his gaze, mesmerized by the beautiful blue. Suddenly, we were gravitating towards each other without realizing it and my heart was speeding up with each second.

"Rick!" Someone yelled and we jumped apart. I heard Daryl groan and couldn't help but smile a little at his frustration. I saw Rick walking down the steps of the porch and Lori following right behind him. I shook my head at them before turning back to Daryl. Again, I was left not knowing what to say. Luckily, I didn't have to stand awkwardly for long.

"Daryl," Rick said, approaching us quickly. "I need you to get some information out of Randall. We need to see if he and his group are a threat. Do whatever you have to, just get answers. Wait 'til morning, then do what's necessary," Rick spoke quickly and passionately.

"What?" I asked, some of my anger coming back. "Why Daryl? You want answers get them yourself, don't have someone else do your dirty work for you," I snapped, coming between him and Daryl. I saw a flash of weariness in his eyes as he dropped his gaze to me.

"He's the best one for the job. Randall will be more afraid of him than anyone else," he said, holding up his hands defensively.

"I'll do it," Daryl said and I looked at him sharply. "I'll take care of it," that was directed at me. He was telling me he was okay with it. I dropped it then and Rick looked thankful and walked back over to a waiting Lori.

"You don't have to you know," I said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"No big deal," he said with a shrug. The electricity from out encounter was still humming in the air and I wasn't ready to leave its warmth just yet. "One day, there won't be any interruptions," he whispered in my ear and walked off.


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N: Weeell, I had planned to do something really special since this is our thirieth chapter (can you believe it!) but I couldn't really make anything work. So, here's the deal. This is a short filler chapter that is the result of a lazy Sunday day but I promise to have another long chapter up by Friday. Plus, we are almost at sixty reviews, so here it is: when we reach seventy-five reviews/chapter 35 (whichever happens first) there will be a super special update that week! Also, I just wanted to see how many of you would be interested in a side fic about Addie and Shane when they were younger. Leave your thoughts in a review! Please enjoy!_

I stared after Daryl with my mouth hanging open for a solid minute before my brain started functioning again. I was in shock, my imagination was playing tricks on me and I had completely misunderstood what he said, right? No way was that what he really said, no way did Daryl Dixon have feelings, especially for me.

"Adeline!" Andrea called from near the RV and I started walking towards her, head still spinning a little.

"Yeah?" I asked, surprised by how calm my voice sounded.

"I hate to ask this, but could you do me a favor? There was an incident with Beth. I left her alone and she cut her wrists. She's okay but Maggie is furious with me. Would you talk to her for me?" She asked and I sighed.

"Why would she listen to me? I don't even know her," I said, a little annoyed by the whole situation.

"Please. She won't even let me in the house," I sighed again but nodded nonetheless. She smiled and thanked me before walking off.

"Addie!" Shane's voice rang out in the air and I looked back at him.

"What?" I called back, growing annoyed by his bipolar emotions.

"I saw you with Dixon," he snapped, continuing to march towards me.

"What?" I asked again, brain sill reeling. Too much had happened the last few days and the lack of rest was starting to catch up to me.

"I saw you with, with _him_. Now what is going on? And I want the truth," he hissed, now directly in front of me.

"Shane, please…"

"Now, Adeline!" He growled, cutting me off and making me jump at the anger in his voice.

"Why? Why do you care?" I snapped back, refusing to cower.

"Because Adeline, I have the right to know," he wasn't yelling any more but the coolness in his voice sent a shiver down my spine.

"Fine, you really want to know?" I asked, crossing my arms defiantly. He mocked my stance and arched his brows waiting for me to continue. "Nothing happened. Is that what you want? You said you saw us, so you saw that there was nothing _to_ see. We were just talking," I hissed and saw his jaw clench.

"And this?" He asked, grabbing the shirt I was wearing around the collar. "Is this nothing too?"

"This", I said, prying his fingers off of me, "is the result of having a nice day. If you must know, we went swimming earlier and he gave me his shirt so I wouldn't be cold," my voice was just as harsh as his and we were locked in a staring contest for a moment.

"So you know what everyone is thinking? First his jacket, now his shirt? You are sure trying to make people thing there is something going on. They're starting to talk, Addie," he said.

"Since when do you care what people think? Especially these people," I scoffed.

"That's not the point, Addie. The point is that you are better than that. You're better than that ignorant redneck who is just using you," his voice was rising again and I took a deep breath to stop myself from exploding.

"That 'ignorant redneck' has saved my life on more than one occasion and has never, not once, asked for anything in return. You need to grow up Shane. I told you, more than once, that there is nothing going on; bur if there was, it is none of your business. Now you're my brother, and I love you, but I'm a grown woman and can make my own decisions. Plus, who are you to talk to me about relationships?" I retorted cool. I instantly regretted my words but I was too indignant to apologize.

I could see the anger all over his face and I hated that I was the reason for it. I stood in the ground, however, and he eventually turned and left. Once he was gone, I let out a shaky breath and ran my fingers through my hair. My head was spinning. I'd thought Shane had worked through this, that he had started returning to normal, but now? Now I could barely see my brother inside this imposter. He had grown cold and hostile.

I made a decision then. I decided to go talk with Rick I needed to find out what had happened on their trip. I walked inside the Greene house and found Rick sitting on the couch with Lori. She gave me a cold glare and I knew she has told Rick about our argument.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked quickly before I lost my nerve. Another glance at Lori and I added, "Alone".

He nodded and stood up, leading me back onto the porch.

"What happened out there? What happened with you and Shane?" I asked him as we faced each other. I was facing the sun so I had to squint at him. "The truth. I won't be mad, I just need to know," I added, seeing the look of uncertainty on his face.

He took a deep breath and began. "Everything was going fine. We had dropped Randall and were walking away when he said he'd gone to school with Maggie. Shane flipped and tried to shoot him. I knocked him out of the way and we started arguing. Eventually, we started fighting. I don't remember all the details but we broke apart and I told him this was my decision. I turned around and he threw a wrench at me but it went through the window instead," Rick was pacing and rubbing his chin at this point, reliving the experience. I was rooted to my spot, listening.

"So turns out walkers were in the building and they started pouring out. I hid under a dead one and Shane holed up in a school bus. I got Randall and the car and we picked Shane up and hauled tail back here," he finished and stopped his pacing. I nodded at him, telling him I understood.

"Now", he said, "about what happened with Lori," he looked at me expectantly and I sighed.

"I'm tired of her Rick. I'm not going to lie to you, I just don't like her. Never have," I said with a shrug.

"Well, that's none of my concern, but I will ask that you respect her. She's going through a lot too," he said but didn't sound completely convinced.

"No promises," I said and walked away. I bounded down the steps and back to my tent.

The sun had started to sink and I was exhausted so I crawled onto my pallet and tried to sleep. It didn't come easily, my mind playing out hundreds of scenarios of what tomorrow would bring, but eventually, it came.


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N: Okay, I know I'm a horrible person, and I'm sorry. Not to make excuses, but in my defense, my internet sucks and has not been working all week. Other than that it is just laziness and being so busy I've barely had time to breathe. I'm still sticking to my promise of one update a week though:) Only 35 days left of school, then it's writing central! You guys have been awesome and you have no idea how much I appreciate your support! You guys are the reason I write when I'm literally about to fall asleep sitting up because I haven't slept in 24 hours! I love you guys and I hope you enjoy the (short) chapter. Please read and review, all feedback is appreciated and transformed into energy to help me write;)_

The next morning came with a heavy gray fog hanging in the air over our camp. I could feel the dampness in the air as soon as I woke up. I quickly got dressed and stepped outside my tent into the dense fog. I could see an orange flame breaking through the blanket and knew everyone must be eating breakfast.

I flopped down in the grass that was covered in dew droplets and pulled on my boots before heading over to them. I couldn't make out any individual faces until I was right on top of them. Shane was sitting right next to where I was standing and he barely looked up at my approach.

Carol was serving the powdered eggs just like every morning. I sighed when I realized Daryl wasn't there. I sat on the ground where I stood and gratefully took a plate from Carol. It was completely silent, no sound except for forks hitting plates.

There was movement in the mist and I tensed. I reached down instinctively to my side for my gun, which wasn't there. The figure kept coming and now everyone had noticed. It was Daryl. I could see him clearly now as he walked towards us briskly. I saw blood coating his knuckles and cringed at the implication.

"Boy there's got a gang, thirty men. They have heavy artillery and they a'int looking to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead. And our women, they're gonna-they're gonna wish they were," his flaming blue eyes were looking right at me when he said that last part, causing my heart to speed up a little.

"What did you do?" Carol asked, looking at his hands.

"We just had a chat," he said, averting his gaze and hiding his knuckles.

"No one go near this guy," Rick commanded, beginning to pace.

"What are we going to do?" Lori asked, looking to her husband for answers I felt sure he didn't have.

"We have no choice, he's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat," his face was set in a hard line and I was surprised by the passion in his voice when he spoke.

"You're just gonna kill him?" Dale asked, walking up to Rick and speaking in that disapproving tone of voice.

"It's settled. I'll do it today," he said firmly and walked off with Dale following closely behind him. They were arguing in the field and we all started to disperse. Shane was walking back towards the house and Daryl was heading towards the woods. I looked between them for a moment, unsure of which one to follow. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and started after Shane. He was walking fast so I had to jog to catch up to him.

"Shane!" I called to him and he stopped but didn't turn around.

"What Adeline?" He asked harshly. I stopped in my tracks but didn't pause in my speech.

"We need to talk. And I mean talk, not yell and accuse. Please. You promised me we would never walk away angry," I reminded him as the wind picked up and started blowing my hair so I had to use my hand to keep it from flying in my face.

"I have nothing to say to you," his voice was harsh and cold, he had never spoken to me like that.

"Well I have a hell of a lot to say to you so you can listen," I retorted angrily. He finally turned around and was looking at me with remoteness.

"Look, I don't know why you've been acting this way, and frankly I'm tired of asking. We've been going in circles for days and I'm tired of walking on eggshells around you because you may snap at some offhand comment. I'm tired of fighting about Daryl and letting Lori come between us. Please, Shane, you're my brother for God's sake. Stop acting like you hate me, you told me that you couldn't stand to loose me but you keep pushing me away. I don't want to loose you either okay?" I was rambling and fighting tears since his glare hadn't lessened any.

"You know what? Forget it, I'm done trying to help you. You won't talk to me so why should I bother?" I yelled and turned and walked away, and Shane didn't try and stop me.

…

I was lying by the pond in the afternoon sunlight, thinking about Shane and wondering if I should apologize. I heard footsteps in the brush but didn't bother sitting up. I knew those steps.

"What's this? A tanning salon?" Daryl's voice was teasing and I felt a grin stretch across my face despite the foul mood I'd been in all day.

"Maybe. A girl has to pamper herself, doesn't she?" I asked and sat up to look at him. I had to shield my eyes with my hand so I could see him clearly. He had that adorable half smile on his face and I felt my heart flutter. We hadn't spoken since the incident, but there was no awkwardness in our conversation and I was glad since I needed the reprieve he offered me.

He snorted and laid in the grass next to me so I stretched back out as well. "What's eating you princess?" He asked after I had been silently staring off into space for a few minutes. I wrinkled my nose at his new nickname.

"Nothing," I dismissed quickly but I knew he wouldn't let it drop. He arched his brow and I sighed. "It's Shane, he's being a real pain in the ass," I relented after a silent staring match. He didn't say anything and that was all the invitation I needed. "We had a…confrontation yesterday and he's just being stupid. He won't talk to me, I'm a little scared," I said before I could stop myself and I felt my face grow hot at the admission.

"Scared? Why?" Daryl asked.

"I don't know. Yesterday, I really thought he was going to hurt me. Plus, I'm scared of losing him, he's growing so cold and distant. That's why I was worried about you interrogation Randall. I can't lose you too," might as well get all this out now since I couldn't be any more embarrassed than now.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked and I heard the dangerous edge in his voice.

"No!" I exclaimed immediately. "He wouldn't, I was just…I don't know, it's stupid but I just feel like this isn't the same Shane I've known my whole life," I continued, saying out loud the thought that had been demanding to be spoken for days. "It feels like he's a stranger."

"People change. Especially in this world," his response was short but profound. This wasn't news of course, but Shane had kind of always been larger than life in my eyes, a hero who couldn't be shaken.

"I guess so, I just don't want him to feel like he can't talk to me. We've always told each other everything," I was whining now but he didn't mind.

"He knows you're here. He just doesn't want to talk now, maybe later," he shrugged, trying to help and I admired his effort. I smiled at him and stood up. He did the same and we were staring into each other's eyes again.

"Thanks," I whispered and kissed his cheek before walking back toward camp.


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N: Wow, I must really love you guys! Here, finally, is that long chapter I've been promising you. So, this is chapter 32 now so only three more chapter until the super special surprise that I promised (or at 75 reviews, whatever happens first). I can't believe how far this story has come, from just an idea to such a well received story, and it wouldn't be possible without all of you. So now that my Oscar acceptance speech is out of the way, please read and review. I hope you enjoy!_

The day passed with tension while Dale made his rounds around camp, begging people to reconsider about killing Randall. I was sitting in a chair next to my tent, cleaning my gun when I saw him heading my way.

"Adeline," he called and sat in the chair next to me.

"Dale," I responded politely, not looking up from my work.

"I need to ask you something. Will you please stand by me about Randall? He's a human being Adeline, a human who has shown no aggression here yet is being sentenced to death," his voice was passionate but it didn't affect me enough for me to change my mind.

"Dale, I don't care what happens to Randall. And for someone who was so gun-ho about Rick being leader, you sure are going through a lot of trouble to go against his decision," I said and when I glanced up, I saw pain in the old man's eyes.

"Well, I don't believe this is his decision. I have reason to believe he was persuaded," he quipped and I prickled. Despite our current situation, no one could talk about Shane except me.

"Watch your tongue Dale. Rick is a big boy, if he was persuaded then it was because he saw it as the best option. Give him a little credit, he can think for himself," I responded stiffly, stripping the gun easily while I did.

"That may be, but it's not the right choice. This group is hanging on to its humanity by a thread, and this will be the yank that breaks it."

"Dale, things aren't the same as they used to be. This isn't a world where we have the luxury of looking for the good in everyone and thinking the best of people. We can't give him a trial and risk a not guilty verdict because if we are wrong, then we've made a fatal mistake," I was earnest in speech, feeling the rightness of the words as I spoke them. "We have to play it safe," I realized I was leaning towards killing Randall instead of staying neutral like I'd planned, but the rational side of me wouldn't let it go.

"I should have known," Dale muttered and stood up.

"What?" I asked him, standing as well since my gun was whole again.

"You are just like your brother. There's no reasoning with you," he said and walked away. My anger flared but I stopped myself from going after him. Instead I took a deep breath and reloaded my gun.

…

Finally, the sun was beginning to set and I made my way to the house where we were to convene one last time before deciding Randall's fate. I walked in the front door and everyone was already in the living room. Shane was standing in the middle next to Rick, Dale was straight across from them and everyone else had formed a circle around them. I saw Daryl leaning against the kitchen doorway and walked over and stood next to him, giving him a small smile.

"So how do we do this? Do we take a vote?" Glenn asked, breaking the silent tension in the room.

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked with a glance at Dale.

"How about majority rules?" Lori added and looked at Rick.

"Well-let's just see where everybody stands then we can talk through the options," he said and I hated to admit that I agreed with him.

"Well, where I sit, there's only one way to move forward," Shane said.

"Killing him," Dale interrupted. "Right? I mean why bother to even take a vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowing," he said, venom dripping from his words.

"Well if people believe we should spare him, I want to know," Rick said firmly.

"Well I can tell you it's a small group-maybe just me and Glenn," Dale said with a look at the young Asian boy who was looking at the floor.

"Look, I-I think you're pretty much right about everything all the time, but this…"

"They've got you scared!" Dale exploded, probably the most emotion I had seen from the man.

"He has a right to be scared," I piped up for the first time and all eyes were on me. "He's not one of us, we don't know anything about him other than he's with a group of guys who shot at Rick, Hershel, and Glenn and tried to kill them," my voice was strong and passionate as well and I stared Dale down the whole time I was speaking.

"What about you? Do you agree with this?" He asked Maggie who was standing awkwardly across the room.

"Couldn't we continue to just keep him prisoner?" She asked after a moment.

"Just another mouth to feed," Daryl said and I looked back at him. He looked uncomfortable here and I wondered what he really thought about the situation.

"It may be a lean winter," Hershel added.

"We could ration better," Lori countered.

"Well, he could be an asset," Dale's voice was almost pleading and I could see this whole conversation was just going in circles now. "Give him a chance to prove himself."

"Put him to work?" Glenn asked.

"We're not letting him walk around," Rick dismissed the idea immediately.

"We could put an escort on him," Maggie offered.

"Yeah and who's going to volunteer for that duty?" Shane asked sarcastically.

"I will," Dale said immediately.

"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy," Rick said, bringing everyone back to reality.

"He's right. I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up," Lori said.

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles. Sentence him to hard labor," Andrea quipped with a shrug.

"Look, say we let him join us, right? Maybe he's helpful, maybe he's nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off, brings back his thirty men," Shane said from next to Andrea.

"So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime he may never even attempt?" Dale asked, outraged. "If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization."

"Oh my God," Shane muttered and rubbed his baldhead in exasperation.

"Could you drive him further out?" Hershel asked.

"You barely came back this time," Lori reminded everyone. "There are walkers. You could break down. You could get lost."

"Or ambushed," Daryl offered.

"They're right, we shouldn't put our own people at risk," Glenn said.

"Exactly," I added. "We have to do what's best for us."

"If you go through with it, how would you do it? Would he suffer?" Patricia asked. It was a very practical question that I hadn't really thought about.

"We could hang him, right? Just snap his neck," Shane suggested.

"I thought about that. Shooting him may be more humane," Rick said and I agreed. There was always the chance it wouldn't break his neck.

"What about the body?" T-Dog asked, the atmosphere in the room changing.

"You're talking about this like it's already decided!" Dale exclaimed, pulling the attention back to himself.

"You've been talking all day, going in circles. You just wanna go around in circles again?" Daryl asked and I smiled at him for saying exactly what I was thinking.

"This is a young man's life. And it's worth more than a five minute conversation," he sounded sad now instead of angry. "Is this what it has come to? We kill someone because we don't know what else to do with them? You saved him! Now look at us! How are we any better than those people we are so afraid of?" He spat and the room grew quiet.

"We all know what needs to be done," Shane said after a moment.

"No, Dale's right, we can't leave any stone unturned," Rick said and I groaned and rubbed my eyes.

"So what's the other solution?" I asked tiredly.

"Let Rick finish," Lori said and I turned, ready to snap at her.

"We haven't come up with a single viable option yet," Andrea interrupted and I turned towards her instead. "I wish we could," she started.

"So let's work on it!" Dale yelled, seizing his opportunity.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Carol exclaimed. "I'm sick of everyone arguing and fighting! I didn't ask for this. You can't ask us to decide something like this. Please decide, either of you, both of you. Just leave me out," she said with a shrug.

"Not speaking out or killing him yourself, there's no difference," Dale said emphatically, looking right at Carol. I jumped forward but Rick held out his hand.

"Alright! That is enough! Anybody that wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance," he said and the room calmed a bit. No one moved, everyone looking around and Dale was getting nervous.

"You once said we don't kill the living," he said to Rick who immediately responded.

"Yeah, that was before the living tried to kill us."

"But don't you see? If we do this, the people we were- the world we knew, is dead. And this new world? It's ugly, it's …harsh, it's survival of the fittest. And that's a world I don't want to live in. And I don't believe that any of you do. I can't! Please. Let's just do what's right. Isn't there anyone else who will stand with me?" He begged and no one would meet his eyes. Everything was dead quiet until Andrea dispelled the silence.

"He's right," she said and the look of relief in his eyes was larger than life. "We should try and find another way."

"Anyone else?" Rick asked, trying to speed this up. Once again, silence.

"Are y'all gonna watch too?" Dale asked sarcastically once it became evident no one else would speak up. "No you'll go hid your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. I won't be a party to it," he said with tears brimming in his eyes and walked away. He stopped next to Daryl, put a hand on his shoulder and said, "This group _is_ broken." Then he walked out.

We all stood for a moment longer until Rick dismissed us, saying he would do it once night fell. Everyone started dispersing slowly, not speaking much as they did. Rick wanted to talk with Daryl and Shane so I was left to my own devices for a while. I walked outside into the evening sun and breathed in the fresh air.

I saw Carl standing off to the side of the camp, near the trees that led into the deep woods. "Kiddo!" I called to him and stared walking over. He looked up, startled and I smiled at him. "What are you doing out here?" I asked him once I was right in front of him.

"Nothing," he answered a little too quickly and I arched my brows suspiciously. "Nothing. I just wanted to go for a walk but my mom wouldn't let me," he said and I still wasn't completely buying it but let it go.

"Well, it's dangerous out there buddy, wouldn't want you to get hurt," I told him with a smile which he returned weakly, making my suspicion grow even more. "All right, I was just making sure you were okay. You may want to head in, it's getting late and your mom is probably looking for you," I said and turned to walk away.

The sun was setting quickly and I saw everyone congregating on the porch, waiting for Rick to come out. And he did. Just a few minutes later, he walked out the door with Daryl and Shane in tow. I watched from the cover of the trees as they headed over to the shed and opened the door. The crickets were chirping now, an eerie soundtrack for tonight's task.

Daryl walked inside and came back out with Randall, shoving him along the path towards the barn where they had decided to carry out the task. I lost sight of them and heard everyone begin talking again on the porch. Then, they started walking over to the campsite and I saw Glenn light the fire which licked at the dark sky. Several tension filled minutes passed before we saw Rick and Carl heading through the trees. My brows furrowed. Why was Carl with him? They walked up to Lori and she and Rick had a miniature staring contest before she told Carl to go inside the tent, which he did quickly.

That's when I saw Shane walking up and the anger written so plainly on his face. I knew. I knew Rick hadn't been able to go through with it and he confirmed as much by telling Lori he couldn't do it.

"It's okay," she told him.

"I'm gonna go find Dale," Andrea smiled and got up. She started walking out towards the field in search of the elderly man and quickly disappeared in the dark.

A second later, a scream pierced the air and we all shot up. There was a lot of yelling and instructions as we all took up weapons and flashlights and started running. Since I was the fastest, I was out front and saw Daryl running from the barn. His path was shorter so we ended up running side-by-side towards the shadows in the dark. We came upon the site quickly and I nearly froze at the sight. A walker was leaning over Dale, ripping his stomach open, guts exposed and blood everywhere.

"Stay back!" Daryl yelled as he literally launched into the air and tackled the walker, killing him with his hunting knife easily. Then he ran over and crouched beside Dale and I did the same, trying to keep my stomach calm at the gore. We had been so far ahead of the group, none of them had reached us yet.

"Help! Over here!" Daryl yelled out to them and jumped up and down to get their attention.

Rick, Shane, and Andrea were the next people to get there and see the horrible sight. Rick mumbled encouragements and barked for someone to get Hershel. Andrea had tears rolling down her cheeks and took Dale's hand, telling him everything would be alright. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as everyone else started to arrive. Hershel came up then.

"Can we move him?" Rick asked as Hershel knelt to evaluate the situation. I realized I was standing really close to Daryl, electricity humming in the air between us even in this horrible situation.

"He won't make the trip," Hershel responded immediately.

"Okay, we have to do the operation here.." Rick trailed off, listing off things we needed.

"Rick," Hershel said, placing a hand on his shoulder and he fell quiet, looking at Dale groaning on the ground. We were all silent for a second, only sobs being heard.

"He's suffering," Andrea said with a sniffle and, of course, she was right. There was only one thing to do, have mercy on him. Rick drew his gun and aimed it at his head, but faltered, a tear escaping his eye. Daryl moved from my said, placing a warm hand on my shoulder before he did, and walked over to Rick. He held out his hand and took the gun, looking at Rick and then at Dale.

"Sorry brother," he whispered and a gunshot cracked through the air. I flinched and turned away from the bloody scene. Andrea was openly sobbing and everyone had tears in their eyes. Daryl handed Rick back his gun and walked back over to me. I looked up at him and saw emotion in those blue eyes and his jaw clenched. I quickly wrapped him in a small hug. He was stiff at first, but right before I pulled away, I felt his hands on my waist. No one seemed to have noticed our moment and I was glad.

"We'll bury him at first light, and-uh, clear the property to make sure they're aren't any more walkers," Rick said, his voice thick. Shane went and got the truck and brought it back and the guys loaded Dale's body on it. They drove it back up to camp so no walkers would get it. We all sat around the fire for a while, not wanting to go to sleep. We had forgotten how close death is. It's easy to get caught up in little drama, but we forget the bigger problem, survival.


	33. Chapter 33

_A/N: Hey everyone! This is going to be a pretty long note because we have a lot to discuss:) If you don't want to read it all, then by all means go on and read the chapter (please read and review). Now for those of you who stuck with me, let's get started. I actually scripted this note the other day to make sure I told you guys everything, but I have even more news that I just found out today so hopefully I'll remember everything! As always, thank you for all the support. We are rapidly approaching the end of season 2 and I have to make a decision that has been plaguing me for weeks now. After much consideration of your input and a loooonnggg consultation with my friend, I've come to this conclusion. I'm going to write some of the winter months. Considering the time discrepancy in the Walking Dead (if you want to hear me vent about that pm me!) it would be nearly impossible to fill that gap of four or five months and keep all of you interested. SO! The solution? I'll write some of it probably ten to fifteen chapters (not 100% certain yet) and then go into Season 3 which will consist of tons of flashbacks to those lost months. So hopefully this will satisfy everyone and I can pull it off._

_Now! For some awesome news (awesome to me at least)! I received an e-mail today asking me to submit a copy of my story to AMC for a contest they are doing! Holy crap right! I'm so freaking excited and none of this would be possible without each and every one of you! Thank you guys so much and for being patient with me! Now go read!_

Morning crept up on us. One moment we were sitting quietly in the dark, mourning and reflecting, and the next moment the sun was shining and the birds were chirping in the trees. Rick was the first one to snap out of the dismal atmosphere.

"Okay, we have a lot to do today. First things first, we clear this land of each and every one of those bastards and burn them all. Then, we have a service for Dale," he said and for the first time, I found comfort in his leadership. Sometime during the night, Daryl had gotten his jacket from my tent and wrapped it around my shoulders because it hung there now and I took refuge in the familiar scent.

We all nodded and stood up stiffly. My knees ached from sitting all night but I stretched and took my gun from where it had been sitting next to me all night.

"Daryl, you, Shane, Andrea, and Adeline go to the front fields, reinforce those gates and clear out any walkers. T-Dog, Glenn, and I will help Jimmy and Hershel take care of the cattle," Rick said grimly. We were all exhausted but I slugged forward. I found myself glued to Daryl's side as we headed towards the truck with pick-axes and other assorted items to be used as weapons.

"You okay?" He leaned over and whispered in my ear, making me jump.

"Yeah, fine," I monotoned and he looked at me but didn't push it. But he did squeeze my arm once and I smiled up at him and got a ghost of a grin in return. We reached the truck and Shane immediately climbed in the driver's seat and Andrea climbed in next to him. Daryl put his crossbow and the other weapons on the bed before helping me up and hopping on himself.

I drew my knees up to my chest as the truck rocked over the rough terrain of roots and holes. Once we reached the northernmost field, we saw a group of walkers feeding on the gutted cow from the previous night. We stopped, cutting the engine and they all looked up and started hobbling towards us. Daryl and I jumped down, grabbing weapons as Shane and Andrea climbed out the cab and did the same. I ran towards the one closest to us and put the ax through her head easily. Blood gushed out and splattered my shirt and face but I didn't pause before using her head as leverage to get the ax out.

The others had fanned out and taken out three other walkers and Shane, being the one the farthest away from us, was heading towards the other three.

"Shane!" I yelled, noticing there were more hidden in the trees. He looked back and one of them grabbed onto his arm and I screamed. I started running, quick as lightening, towards him and reached him in a matter of seconds. He had managed to keep the walker from taking a bite out of him but the others were closing in quickly. I put the ax through the walker on him and watched him drop while Shane yanked his arm away.

As soon as I turned around, a walker was right in my face and I didn't have time to swing the ax before he had latched onto my arm. His fingers clawed at me and I shrieked and managed to punch him in the face, although it did no good.

"Addie!" I heard Shane and Daryl scream before I was pushed to the ground along with the walker. I landed with someone on top of me and the wind got knocked out of me. The weight lifted quickly and Daryl helped me to my feet as Shane drove a knife into the walker's eye. Andrea had taken out two walkers who had gotten too close during the fight and that left us with two. Shane and Daryl quickly dispatched them and we were left panting in the field.

"Did he scratch you?" Shane asked and walked over to me, grabbing my arm roughly.

"No," I said and pulled it back, still angry with him. He didn't say anything else, just nodded and headed back to the truck.

We set out to fix the fences then. Shane had brought some tools and we went around, finding weak spots and fixing them, hopefully to keep the walkers out for good. Daryl and I found a whole section of fence that had been broken and set out to fixing it, the barbed wire pricking my fingers as I untangled the mass of it lying at the base of the fence. All the repairs were taken care of quickly and we were ready to head back in no time.

We loaded up the bodies quietly and drove back to camp, waiting for Rick's order on where to burn them. He and the others came up just a moment later, Glenn and T dragging another walker behind them.

"We'll burn them over there," Rick said gesturing to a grove on the other side of the field. We all nodded bleakly and climbed back in the truck and drove over. It was a difficult task to pile all the bodies up and stack them so they would burn. Finally, we drove away from the thick, choking, smoke and the smell of burning flesh.

…

We gathered under the trees where we buried Sophia after Dale had been buried next to her. We stood in silence for a while, not really knowing what to do. Dale had been this group's moral compass and despite our argument, I had always viewed him as a role model. He never let this world bring him down, but expected it to rise to his standards. Finally, when it seemed like we would be crushed by the grief, Rick spoke.

"Dale, he could just get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt," Rick's voice traveled over us loudly. We were all standing around the patch of freshly turned dirt, looking at the ground solemnly. We could still smell the burning bodies across the field and see the flames licking at the sky. I was standing next to Daryl, a little ways behind the rest of the group. I allowed myself a glance at Shane who seemed the least disturbed by the events of the previous night.

"That kind of honesty is rare, and brave," Rick continued. "Whenever I'd made a decision, I'd look at Dale, he'd look back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could always read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us, the truth, who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity, he said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it, set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and take control of our lives, our safety… our future. We aren't broken. We are gonna to prove him wrong. From now own, we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale," silence washed over us once he was finished until people started moving away.

There was a lot to be done today since Hershel had told us we could all move into the house. We had to pack up the camp and situate it all in the house and make sure all the things we didn't need inside were ready to go, just in case. An air of silence was over everyone. There was no idle chatter or laughter as we packed and began unpacking inside the house. The only time that broke was when we started talking about what needed to be done.

"What about patrols?" Andrea asked after putting a box of clothes on the bed of the truck.

"Let's get this area locked down first. Then Shane'll assign shifts while Daryl and I take Randall offsite and cut him loose," Rick said, walking over and looking Shane in the eyes.

"So we're back to that now?" Shane asked from where he was leaning against the truck.

"It was the right plan the first time around," Rick defended. "Just poor execution."

"That's an understatement," my brother quipped and I wouldn't look at him. I knew this was going to get ugly. They stared each other down for a second, having a silent testosterone battle.

"You don't agree, but this is what's happening," Rick growled lowly. "Swallow it. Move on."

"You know, Dale's death and the prisoner-that's two different things, right?" Shane asked and all of our heads snapped up. Rick got a dangerous glint in his eyes but didn't interrupt. "You want to take Daryl as your wing man, be my guest," his voice was hard but I could see the hurt in his eyes and I had to look away before I would feel sorry for him.

"Thank you," Rick said and walked away.

"You got it."

We finished packing the truck and T-Dog drove it up to the house and Daryl drove his motorcycle up as well while we carried other supplies up to the porch. The next order of business was to build lookout towers on the wind turbines and board up the windows of the barn. Once that was done, Daryl and Rick would head out and Randall would be out of our lives for good.

"Want to help with the barn?" Daryl asked me, a hammer and box of nails in his hands.

"Sure," I smiled and walked with him to the building. We climbed up the ladder and stood on the roof where we had already put some plywood to use for boarding up the windows.

"You okay going with Rick?" I asked him after a couple minutes of silent working.

"Yeah. You gonna be okay here?" He asked and I couldn't hide the smile that played on my lips. The old Daryl never would have asked that. I nodded.

"I'll be fine," I assured and we lapsed into a comfortable silence.

We finished up quickly and once we were back on level ground, Rick came looking for Daryl, ready to go.

"See ya when you get back," I told him lamely before walking back towards the house to see if anyone needed help.

It didn't take long to find something to do. Andrea was lugging two buckets of water towards the house.

"Hey! Let me help," I called to her and took one of them. She smiled and we walked up to the house in silence.

"Hershel wants it in the basement," she said once we were inside. I descended the steps to the old, damp, basement and sat the bucket in the corner with some others. Then, I helped Patricia with putting some food together to put down there as well, just in case. After all that time in the house, I needed some air and walked outside. The air was cool and I was thankful for Daryl's jacket wrapped around me. I saw Shane standing on one of the turbines, working on the lookout. I sighed. We needed to talk, seriously this time.

"Need some help?" I called, looking up. I used my hand to shield my eyes from the sun so I could see him more clearly.

"I got it," he grunted and I sighed again before climbing up anyway. He looked at me coolly but didn't try to stop me. "Shane. Please," I whispered, placing my hand over his. He pulled away.

"I'm busy Adeline," he hissed and I tensed. But no. I wouldn't let him do this. I wouldn't let him push me away.

"Well I can wait," I said and crossed my arms over my chest. I went quiet and watched him work. He glanced up at me from under his lashes.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Nothing. You said you were busy so I'm waiting for you to finish."

"Addie, I'm not in the mood," he said and I shrugged. He went back to working but stopped again after a minute. "You aren't going anywhere are you?" I shook my head. "Damn you are stubborn," he said and sighed, sitting on the wooden platform he had made and I sat next to him.

"Shane, we have to work through this. We can't stay mad at each other forever," I told him sincerely.

"There's nothing to work through. We both made it clear how we feel," he wouldn't look at me and I knew he was trying to stay angry.

"Don't do that, please. I need my big brother," I begged, putting a hand under his chin to tilt his head up so he would meet my eyes.

"Well," he said, grabbing my wrist and wrenching it away. "I needed my sister to support me. I guess we were both disappointed," he spat and I recoiled from him, prying my wrist out of his grasp.

"Shane…"

"No! I'm sick of this Addie. I'm sick of dancing around the real issue! You've lost sight of what's important. You've taken their side over mine and I'm your family, damn it!" He exclaimed, jumping up and pulling me up by my shoulders before pinning me against the turbine's leg. I cried out but he didn't let go.

"Shane. You're hurting me," I whispered pathetically but he just sneered.

"Now you have an idea how it felt when you turned your back on me _sister_," he hissed the last word like a curse. "How it felt when you sided with Dixon over me!" He was yelling now, shaking me with each word.

"Shane! Stop! Please!" I screamed, grabbing his hands with my own but his grip didn't lessen.

"What do you think mom and dad would say? Huh?" He asked and I froze and he stopped shaking me but didn't le go. "Do you think they'd be proud of ya? For being with him, for abandoning me when I needed you?" He asked with narrowed eyes and a lowered voice. I was breathing wildly and he let go and I sunk to my knees, tears coming quickly. "I thought you were strong, I thought I could count on you, but I was wrong," he scoffed and climbed down, leaving me alone in the cold.


	34. Chapter 34

_A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait! I've actually had this chapter written for a while, but I've been agonizing over it all week, wanting to make sure it was just right. Still not sure if it's exactly the way I'd like it, but it still serves its purpose. So, this is the moment of truth! What fate will befall our hero? What about Shane? Well read and find out! Make sure to leave me a review in that box at the bottom, they make my day! Next chapter we wrap up Season 2 and transition into the winter where I have absolutely NO idea on what to do! Also, next chapter is packed with a surprise! Just like I promised XD_

I don't know how long I sat there staring out into the distance, mind reeling and heart breaking. When I finally tuned back into my surroundings, I realized how far the sun had traveled. It would be dark soon and a glance to where the cars were parked showed that Rick and Daryl hadn't left yet. I climbed down numbly and headed over to where I saw them on the porch.

"Hey," I called when I got closer and they both looked up.

"Walsh? Where have you been?" Daryl asked with an arched brow. I unconsciously smoothed my clothes and wiped at my eyes upon his scrutiny.

"Around," I answered vaguely, avoiding his gaze. "Are y'all about to leave?" I asked them, switching topics as smoothly as I could.

"Yeah, Dog just went to get Randall," Rick said and as he did a scream pierced the air.

"Guys!" It was T-Dog and he was running towards us. "Guys! Randall's gone!" He yelled as he approached the porch then doubled over, panting. I jumped off the porch and ran towards the shed and heard Daryl and Rick right behind me.

I made it to the shed and the door was open and no one was inside. Rick and Daryl inspected it as well and I saw Glenn heading over with T-Dog.

"What happened?" I asked him once he got there.

"No idea. The door was locked when I got here but he wasn't in there," he said with a shrug and I started pacing. I heard Lori calling for Rick and he explained what was happening.

"Cuffs are still hooked. He must've slipped 'em," Rick said after looking around inside.

"Is that even possible?" Lori asked, a hysterical edge in her voice.

"It is if you have nothing to lose," Andrea answered.

"Rick! Rick!" Someone yelled from the trees and we all turned to look. It was Shane. My blood ran cold at the sight of him, and then I noticed he was hurt. His face was bloody and it looked like he was limping.

"Shane!" I called and took one step forward but stopped short. I wouldn't.

"What happened?" Lori called and we all walked over to him so he could explain.

"He's armed!" Shane yelled and my heart sped up a notch. "He's got my gun!"

"Are you okay?" I asked him when he stopped in front of us.

"Fine. The little bastard just snuck up on me. He clocked me in the face," Shane called, still very wound up.

"All right, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house. Glenn, Daryl, come with us," Rick rattled off instructions easily. "T, I'm gonna need that gun."

"Just let him go!" A voice called and we all turned to look at Carol. "That was the plan wasn't it, to let him go?" She asked.

"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun," Rick snapped.

"Don't go out there! Y'all know what can happen!" Carol called as they began to retreat into the trees.

"Get everybody in the house! Lock the doors and stay put," Rick called over his shoulder.

"Dixon!" I called out and he turned towards me, the crossbow in his hands. I walked over to him. "Be careful," I told him and he nodded fiercely, his eyes saying everything that needed to be said. I nodded too and headed back to the others who were going into the house.

We locked all of the doors and Andrea and I made sure our guns were loaded, just in case. We sat in the living room in complete silence. I was too hyped up to sit; my mind was spinning in a hundred different directions. I was pacing in front of the window and saw the last rays of sun give way to darkness and sent up a silent prayer that they all were okay.

"Adeline, please sit down. You're making us all nervous," Hershel said and I glared at him but stopped pacing. I resorted to staring out the window and chewing furiously on my bottom lip. Time seemed to drag out forever, nearly freezing.

After what felt like an eternity, a gunshot went off and we all jumped. No one had spoken since Hershel had asked me to sit so the noise startled us. My heart sped up and I peered out the window, looking for any sign as to what may be happening out there.

"Anything?" Andrea asked me and I shook my head, arms crossed fiercely over my chest.

"I'm going out there," I said after another moment, throwing up my hands and grabbing my gun from the counter and shoving it in my waistband.

"It's too dangerous," Carol called and I looked back at her worried eyes. "It's dark. You will never find them and just end up getting lost…or worse," she whispered and I sighed.

"Plus, if Randall comes back, we'll need you here," Lori added and I looked at her. She had never admitted that she needed my help before.

"Andrea can handle anything that happens," I said and walked towards the door that opened once my hand reached for the knob. I jumped back and pulled my gun, ready to kill whoever, or whatever, it was. Daryl. It was Daryl with Glenn. I breathed heavily and put my gun back and stepped away to let them through.

"Rick and Shane a'int back yet?" Daryl asked, looking at me with his bow slung over his shoulder.

"No," Lori said and I shook my head.

"We heard a shot," he said, looking between us now.

"Maybe they found Randall," Lori offered with a shrug but the look on Daryl's face told me everything.

"You found him. Didn't you?" I asked and he nodded solemnly.

"Is he back in the shed?" Maggie asked naively. Daryl and I didn't break eye contact as he said what I already knew.

"He's a walker."

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked and Daryl looked to him.

"No. The weird thing is that he wasn't bit," Glenn said and we arched brows.

"His neck was broke," Daryl added, his gaze locked back with mine now. Something was wrong. There was something he wasn't telling us.

"What is it?" I asked him quietly and I saw a flash of remorse in his eyes. My heart was speeding at this point.

"The thing is, Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other. And Shane a'int no tracker so he didn't come up behind him," he started and my breath caught at the implication. "They were together." Those words broke me. Sure, Shane had been acting strange lately, but no way had he orchestrated some insane plan like this just to kill Randall.

"Would you please just get back out there and find Rick and Shane and find out what on earth is going on?" Lori asked Daryl.

"You got it," he said and he and Glenn turned to leave after one last look in my direction.

We all walked out on the porch with them and what we saw made us all freeze.

"Holy shit," I whispered. Hundreds of walkers were shuffling towards the house. The scene was so surreal it took a minute for all of us to process the danger.

"Patricia, kill the lights," Hershel whispered and the woman rushed off to do so.

"I'll get the guns," Andrea said and followed Patricia in the house. All I could do for a moment was stare out at the herd making its way towards us. I managed a glance up at Daryl who was standing stiffly beside me.

His blue eyes were blazing and the strong line of his jaw was clenched. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he surveyed the situation.

"Maybe they're just passing. Like the herd on the highway. Should we just go inside?" Glenn asked.

"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about. A herd that size would rip the house down," Daryl said somberly. We were trapped.

Finally, my brain started functioning again. Shane. Shane was still out there. Out there with all of those walkers.

"Shane!" I yelled out into the field as loud as I could and took a few steps forward until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Whoa! Hold on girl," Daryl said and held me back firmly.

"I have to find Shane," I said frantically. Between the gunshot and the herd, I was panicking and worrying about his safety.

"You won't make it twenty feet and you a'int doing anyone any good by getting yourself killed," his voice was hard but his eyes were compassionate.

"He's my brother," I whispered, but I had already untensed my muscles, knowing he was right.

"We'll find him, I promise," he whispered back and squeezed my hand quickly before letting go.

"Carl's gone!" Lori screamed, running back onto the porch. I groaned internally. He was supposed to be upstairs.

"What?" Carol screeched, going to her side.

"He-He was upstairs. I can't find him anywhere," she said, her breath coming in shorter gasps and her eyes were wide with fear.

"Maybe he's hiding," Glenn suggested.

"He's supposed to be upstairs," she snapped, running a hand through her hair. "I'm not leaving without my boy."

"We're not. We're gonna look again. We're gonna find him," Carol tried to soothe her and pulled her back inside.

Andrea came back out with the guns and began to distribute them to everyone.

"I got the number, it's no use," Daryl said, shaking his head and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"You can go if you want," Hershel said, looking at us intently.

"You gonna take 'em all on?" Daryl asked skeptically.

"We have guns. We have cars. Kill as many as we can then use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm."

"Are you serious?"

"This is my farm. I'll die here," he said, taking the rifle he had loaded and walking down the steps.

"All right," Daryl said. "It's as good a night as any," he said and jumped over the banister with his bow in tow.

I got down too and ran over to Daryl who was mounting his bike. "Here," I said and handed him a gun before climbing on behind him. He nodded and revved the engine before taking off towards the barn, which was now on fire.

"Do you think it was Rick and Shane?" I yelled up to him as he stopped next to the gate. Walkers started towards us and we shot at them, the noise deafening.

"Possibly," he called back and I cast a quick glance around to see everyone holding their own.

"There's too many of them! We can't even make a dent!" I called to him, running out of ammo in the handgun quickly. They were descending upon us quickly so Daryl took off. He drove over to the RV. Jimmy was behind the wheel.

"Must've been Rick and Shane to set that fire. They might be trying to get out around back, go on back there," Daryl called to him and Jimmy obeyed. We pulled off and I kept firing at walkers who got too close for comfort, but the pistols weren't the best weapons when it came to this huge herd.

"We've got to get out of here! It's lost!" Daryl yelled and I nodded. My heart was racing and my ears were ringing. We pulled off to the road that led to the farm, the gate broken now. I prayed that Shane was okay, but there was nothing I could do for him now. It was foggy as we drove down the road. Trees lined both sides of the road, making it feel even narrower than it was and they cast eerie shadows on the pavement. Walkers were growling and it was hard to make out exactly where they were coming from.

"Hang on," Daryl muttered and sped up, leaving the walkers behind us. We knew, however, that if one jumped in front of us, it was over. The collision would hurt us a hell of a lot more than them and we would have no transportation if the bike was messed up. I wrapped my arms tighter around him and closed my eyes.

Eventually, the sounds of the death growls grew fainter and fainter until they disappeared all together and Daryl stopped. I opened my eyes to see a patch of road that was completely empty.

"You okay?" He asked, getting off the bike and stretching quickly. I sat there numbly for a second before nodding.

"Y-Y-Yeah," I stuttered, shivering a little in the cold air. "Where do we go now?" I asked, looking up at him.

"The highway where we first broke down. Rick will go there," he said and I nodded again.

"Earlier, when you said Shane and Randall were together. What did you mean?" I asked him the question that had been nagging at the back of my mind all night. And I do mean all night because the darkness was starting to lighten.

"Addie…" he started but I gave him a harsh look. "I think Shane led Randall out into the woods," he said with a sigh. "I don't see any other explanation."

"No, you're wrong. Why would he do that? No way, Shane's not crazy. Let's just go, I'll straighten everything out when I find him. Okay. We can go now," I said and straightened back up in the seat and he climbed back on as well. I hugged him around the waist and he started driving again, heading back to the highway.

We drove in a comfortable silence after that, my head resting on his back, my eyes growing heavy from the long day. Then, we saw headlights through the fog.

"It's Glenn and Maggie!" I cried, recognizing the car instantly. We stopped and then I saw the truck in front of them as well. Everyone in the cars got out.

"Is Shane with you?" I asked and they all shook their heads and my heart fell. _He's probably with Rick_ I told myself. It was Glenn, Maggie, Lori, T-Dog, and Beth.

"We're heading back to the highway," Daryl told them.

"Yeah, figured that's the best spot," Lori agreed and they all went back into the cars. Daryl quickly took the lead of the group and the sun was shining by the time we made it to the familiar stretch of highway.

Everyone started running to their respective families and I scanned for Shane, not seeing him and fear began to creep into my mind. I saw Rick walking over to us and he stood next to Daryl.

"Where'd you find everyone?" Rick asked Daryl, the two of them doing that ridiculous handshake.

"Well this one's taillights were swerving all over the road. Figured he had to be Asian driving like that," he joked.

"Good one," Glenn said sarcastically.

"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl asked with a glance at me.

"We're the only ones who made it so far," Rick said, looking at the ground.

"Where's Shane?" I asked, heart pounding as I stood taller. Rick wouldn't meet my eyes and a weight crashed into my chest. "Rick? Where is my brother?" I asked again, walking towards him.

He looked up at me then, tears in his eyes and I let out a sob. No. No. No. Shane couldn't be dead. He couldn't. I ran to Rick and hugged him, letting the tears fall. Rick had lost Shane, just like me. His arms wrapped around my waist and hugged me close and I took refuge in the familiarity of one of my oldest friends. I knew how hard it must be, to fight so hard together and then lose him. They were, after all, best friends, brothers even.


	35. Chapter 35

_A/N: Hi everyone! I am super excited about this chapter for many reasons. Number one: this is chapter thirty-five! Can you believe it! Secondly, this marks the end of season two and the beginning of my adventure into the winter months. Exciting! And lastly, there is a super secret surprise in this chapter for all of my loyal fans XD! So, as I mentioned surprises, there are a couple for you to take note of. First of all, the content surprise that will make you smile. Then, if you notice, there is a title change. This is for a couple reasons, the contest being the main one. Finally, if you go to the image for the story, you will see a picture of the one and only Adeline Walsh. A big thanks to my best friend (Zale136) for drawing that for me. If you all get a chance, drop by and tell her thanks and check out her story, it's fantastic. Moving on, I would like to thank all of you who have sent me ideas, please keep them coming. Honestly, I'm a little nervous with the whole winter thing so any suggestions are welcome! Anyways, please read and review! Hope you enjoy:)_

We started driving down the highway, needing to find shelter before dark. Daryl and I were up front on his bike with the others following close behind. We were heading east, like T-Dog had suggested but were sticking to back roads in hopes of avoiding another herd.

"Addie, if ya need to talk…" Daryl trailed off and I hugged him tighter but didn't speak. Right now I was holding on by a thread that was in real danger of breaking. I had to focus on survival because as soon as my brain had time to wander, the walls I had built would crumble, and I couldn't survive the onslaught that would ensue.

A horn honk sounded and I turned around to see Rick pulling beside the road and Daryl did the same, as did Glenn. I hopped off the bike and everyone climbed out of the cars as well.

"You out?" Daryl asked Rick, assuming that the reason he had stopped was because he was out of gas.

"Running on fumes," he said and I started chewing on my lip.

"We can't stay here," Maggie said, looking panicked. We were all more than a little jumpy after what happened at the farm.

"We can't all fit in one car," Glenn pointed out, running a hand through his hair.

"We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning," Rick decided.

"Spend the night here?" Carol asked skeptically.

"I'm freezing," Carl whined, rubbing his arms. I noticed how cold it really was, our breath visible in the air. Winter had finally arrived and it wasn't playing nice. We could very easily freeze in our sleep.

"We'll build a fire, yeah?" Lori offered, rubbing Carl's chest to try and warm him and looking around for a place to build a fire.

"You go out looking for firewood, stay close," Daryl called. "Only so many arrows. How you doing on ammo?"

"Not enough."

"We can't just sit here with our asses hanging out," Maggie cried and I looked at the fear that was so evident in her eyes. It was weird, I wasn't afraid. I didn't feel anything. I had lost the only thing that really mattered to me so I had nothing else to lose. Death would be welcomed, not feared.

"Watch your mouth. Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick," Hershel called to everyone, chastising Maggie.

"All right, we'll set up a perimeter. In the morning we'll find gas and some supplies. We'll keep pushing on," Rick took charge again, using his leader voice to let everyone know he was serious.

"Glenn and I can make a run now, try and scrounge up some gas,' Maggie said, a desperate note in her voice.

"No! We stay together," Rick's voice boomed over us. "God forbid something happen and people get stranded without a car."

"Rick, we're stranded now," Glenn pointed out. He was calmer than Maggie but I could tell that he was shaken too.

"I know it looks bad. We've been through hell and worse, but at least we found each other," Rick said, his voice dropping to nearly a whisper. "I wasn't sure- I really wasn't. But we did, we're together. We keep it that way," he commanded and looked at the ground. "We'll find shelter somewhere. There's got to be a place."

"Rick, look around, okay?" Glenn said, his voice pleading but firm at the same time. "There's walkers everywhere. They're migrating or something."

"There's gotta be a place! Not just where we hole up, but that we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for each other! I know it's out there, we've just gotta find it!" His voice was so sure and passionate that I almost believed him and my heart squeezed and I pushed back against the feeling that were trying to break free.

"Even if we do find a place, and we think it's safe, we can never be sure for how long," Maggie said, calmer now. "Look what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that was safe."

"We won't make that mistake again," Hershel said.

"We'll make camp tonight over there. Get on the road at break of day," Rick said, pointed to a place off of the road where we would be partially hidden from walkers and protected from the weather.

"Does this feel right to you?" Carol asked Daryl.

"What if walkers come through, or another group like Randall's?" Beth asked Rick.

"You know I found Randall. He had turned but he wasn't bit," Daryl said, narrowing his eyes at Rick.

"How's that possible?" Beth asked.

"Rick, what the hell happened?" Lori asked him and he stared out at the road.

"Shane killed Randall. Just like he always wanted to," Daryl said, looking at me as he did. It was like a knife twisted in my chest but I took a deep, shaky breath, and remained calm. I couldn't let my mind wander. Not now.

"And then the herd got him?" Lori asked and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. I needed something to keep my full attention.

"We're all infected," well that will do it. I completely focused on Rick as we all waited for him to elaborate.

"What?" Daryl asked, taking a step towards Rick.

"At the CDC, Jenner told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it," he said and my jaw dropped.

"And you never said anything?" Carol accused as we all processed the information. I felt like something was crawling in my skin. I finally felt something. Anger. Anger at Rick for keeping this from us.

"Would it have made a difference?" Rick asked.

"You knew this whole time?" Glenn sounded hurt as he looked at the man who was supposed to be our leader.

"How could I have known for sure?" He asked, looking at all of us, begging us to understand. "You all saw how crazy that mon-…"

"That isn't your call!" Glenn yelled, looking utterly outraged.

"Okay, when I found out about the walkers in the barn I told, for the good of everyone!"

"Well I thought it was best that people didn't know," he barked and his tone told us that was the end of the discussion. We all started walking around anxiously, starting to prepare for the night, praying we made it through.

…

_Shane is dead_. That was all that ran through my mind as we sat around the small fire that night. Now that there was nothing to distract me, silent tears rolled down my face and my heart clinched with every breath. I was shivering in the frigid late November air. I knew we would have to find shelter for the winter before long. All of us were haggard and battle worn, mourning our individual losses in silence. Carol was whispering to Daryl about Rick, and he finally snapped.

"I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ's sake!" He exclaimed. Everyone's head snapped up and looked between Rick and me. I shot up, red clouding my vision as my heart thundered in my ears.

"What?" I practically spat at him, fists clinching at my sides. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to lunge at him. Everyone around the fire tensed, Rick and I staring each other down.

"You saw what he was like, how he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged the whole Randall thing, led me out to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no choice. He was my friend, but he came after me. My hands are clean," his voice was calm, contrasting sharply with the rage boiling inside me. Daryl was at my side in an instant. I was shaking violently, not trusting myself to speak without bursting into tears, and I would not give Rick that satisfaction. I let out a growl that rivaled that of a wild animal and lunged at Rick. Daryl grabbed for me but I wiggled out of his grasp. My fist made contact with Rick's jaw and the force of me running into him sent us both flying to the ground, me on top of him. I was able to get a few more punches in before strong hands wrapped around my waist and yanked me away, my feet leaving the ground for an instant. I was planted back on solid ground behind Daryl, his hands still gripping me tightly.

"Breathe, Addie," he whispered to me as Rick got back on his feet. I took a shaky breath and the tears started coming. There was nothing I could do to hold them back anymore. Daryl wrapped me in a hug, but I shoved him away. He let me go, looking stunned.

"Go to hell! All of you!" I screamed and started walking away.

"Addie!" I heard Daryl call after me but I sped up, breaking into a sprint to get away from them. I ended up in the woods, alone, at night. I found a large tree and sat down, leaning against it. I yelled and cried and yelled some more, until my chest and eyes hurt from the force of it all.

Once the wave of undiluted sorrow and grief had passed, I realized how stupid I had been for wandering out here alone. As soon as the thought ran through my head, I heard a rustling in the bushes. I tensed and shot up, grabbing for my gun. I only had five rounds left, hopefully enough to take out whatever it was in the brush.

"Addie," a familiar voice called and I groaned internally. I wiped at my eyes, knowing they were puffy and red.

"Go away Daryl," I called back and he came into my line of sight then. I put my gun back and flopped back down next to the tree.

"What the hell were you thinking? Are you trying to get yourself killed? I understand you lost your brother, but quit acting like a spoiled child and get your ass back to camp," he was angry, rage apparent on his face, which only made my anger flare up as well.

"Why do you care? You aren't my brother, it's none of your concern what happens to me!" I yelled back, standing back up to get in his face, a difficult task since he was at least six inches taller than me.

"Of course I care! Addie, where have you been? We're a family, all of us! We have each other's backs and we stick together!"

"Well one of our _family_ just murdered another member," I spat, no longer yelling.

"You don't know what happened. You need to listen to Rick's side of the story too," he was calmer now as well.

"So you think he had the right? I thought you were smarter than to fall for Rick's idiotic stories! Shane was his best friend, no way would my brother hurt him," my voice caught, the tears starting to fall again. I turned away from Daryl, not wanting him to see me like this.

"Addie, come on, let's go back to camp," he whispered, coming around so I would be face to face with him. When I tried to turn again, he grabbed my arms and held me in place. I was shivering even worse now that I didn't have the heat of the fire to keep back the cold. I had no ammo, no food, nothing. I knew I needed to go back to camp, but I wouldn't let Rick think I needed his help.

"No, I won't go back and sleep in the same camp as the man who murdered my brother!" I was trying to be angry now, trying to hate Daryl and everyone else at camp so I wouldn't go back.

"Quit being a brat Addie, we've all lost people! It sucks yeah, but you getting yourself killed isn't going to make anything better!"

"Don't you ever talk to me like that, I oughta.." I trailed off because Daryl gripped me tighter and pulled me closer, crushing his mouth to mine.

I tensed, my first instinct was to kick him in the groin and run away, but after a second, I relaxed. I started kissing him back, putting all of my pain and grief into the kiss. When we finally separated, we were gasping and I knew my eyes were wide with disbelief. This was Daryl Dixon, the man who felt nothing and never showed emotion, there was no way he felt anything towards me.

"What the hell was that?" I shrieked.

"What do you think it was? Now come on, before you freeze to death out here," he said and started walking away, a light flush coloring his cheeks.

"Fine, I'm coming. But not because I want to," I said and jogged to catch up with him. We walked back to camp in silence, but when we got to the edge of the tree line, he kissed me again, this time softly, before walking back over to everyone else, leaving me blushing in the darkness.

_So, Daryl and Addie finally got their kiss! What will happen next? What adventure await our heroine during the dark winter months? Tune in next week for the next installment of As the Walkers Rule, AKA Chomp Chomp Motherfreaker (Haha Zale136!)_


	36. Chapter 36

_A/N: Okay, so I'm sorry for the long break, won't happen again, just been busy and suffering from some major writer's block. So, this is a very short chapter just to transition into the winter (which I am super excited for)! Hopefully I will have the next chapter up by Wednesday, still working through some plot things for the upcoming chapters so it may be a bit before the updates steady and become more frequent! So anyway, read and enjoy!_

The night was full of restless sleep and horrible nightmares. What little sleep I managed was plagued with horrid images and blood. My eyes were already open and staring out blankly when the sun came up. It amazed me that it could rise and shine and the birds could sing like every other day when my brother was dead. How could everything be so normal when my entire world had been shattered?

I heard footsteps approaching where I was lying but couldn't bring myself to move. I had set up camp as far away from everyone as possible; I didn't want to deal with them, not even Daryl. Daryl who had confused me even more and left me with more emotional drama to work through. But I couldn't even think about that now, not with the loss of Shane hanging so heavily on my shoulders. What would my brother think about me kissing Daryl? He definitely didn't like the redneck but he would be okay if it made me happy. Right?

"Addie," speak of the devil, Daryl's voice pulled me from my mental spiral and I managed to roll over and look at him. I could only imagine how I looked, hair wild and full of leaves, eyes red and puffy like my nose. I didn't even bother to try and wipe them away, he knew. I didn't answer him, just looked at him, blinking so more tears rolled down my cheek.

"Here. Figured you could use something to eat," he said and extended his arm to offer me a bowl of what appeared to be squirrel.

"Not hungry," I croaked, voice rough from crying all night. He didn't push, just sat down next to me and looked out.

"We're leaving in an hour, Rick wants to head towards the coast," he spoke after a moment. I didn't respond, just continued to wallow in my grief.

"Look, about…uh…what happened last night…" he started

"No. Not now," I said fiercely and he stopped. "I…I just can't." I looked up into his eyes, begging him to understand and I saw compassion and worry reflected in them.

"Of course. Just get packed up, we gotta go soon," he said with a small smile and squeezed my hand quickly before getting up and walking back over to his bike.

I stood up stiffly, my joints and limbs not cooperating as they should due to the cloud in my head. I numbly shoved my blankets in my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I refused to go over to everyone else, I just stood to the side and waited. Once they were climbing in the cars I walked quickly over and jumped on Daryl's motorcycle, shoving my bag in the side bag. He got on too and cast a glance back at me and I forced a smile that faltered quickly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Me too," I replied weakly and he nodded and started up the bike, following Rick, into the unknown scenery that was our future.


	37. Chapter 37

_A/N: I know what you're thinking! What on earth has happened to this chick to take so long to update when she promised more! And I'm sorry! I've been in a blah mood lately and honestly have been uninspired for the longest time. But I'm back baby, and ready to go! Been watching the Walking Dead marathon all weekend and I am pumped, so here you go, it's a little rusty but I promise to find my rhythm again soon! Thank you so much for being patient with me and being so kind, please continue with your reviews, they really do mean the world to me!_

_~A.S.D_

The road was open and empty, much like the gas tanks of the cars. Luckily for us, there was a station right up the road from where we'd been forced to stop after nearly three hours on the road.

"Okay, we should all stick together and search the station. Hopefully there will be some gas or at least some sort of food. We need supplies, bad. So let's move, have your guns ready and be prepared to run," Rick ordered. I was functioning now, although just barely and I didn't have the energy to argue so I picked up my gun and followed them into the store. It was quiet, no definite signs of walkers, but I was definitely on edge.

"I'll take left, you go right," I whispered to Daryl and he nodded, moving to clear one section of the store. Rick was outside with Glenn trying to see if there was any gas left in the pumps while the rest of us were searching inside for other supplies. I made my way through each aisle, the hairs on my neck standing up, making me nervous. I strained to hear any telltale sounds of walkers but all I heard was Lori and Carol gathering what menial supplies were left.

There was nothing suspicious on this side of the store so I circled back to find Daryl. He met me in the middle.

"Nothing over here," he said, wiping his brow. Somehow it was hot in the store despite the continually dropping temperatures outside.

"All clear over here too," I responded and we headed back outside to see if Rick and Glenn had found anything.

"Any luck?" Daryl called, walking up to where they were knelt on the ground but I kept my distance, not trusting myself to be too close to Rick.

"There's a little gas, enough to carry us about fifty miles give or take. What about inside?" He asked and I could feel myself shaking with anger just at the sight of him. I faintly heard Daryl answer him, but all I could concentrate on was the sound of blood rushing in my ears. I started walking across the lot and down the road a ways, just to get away and see what was ahead.

"Addie," I heard Daryl approach but didn't turn around, just stared out. Then, I heard something and it took me about two seconds to register the oddness of it being here. A car engine. I looked back at Daryl who was tensed and staring out at the road. A car drove past us and pulled into the parking lot.

"Shit," Daryl muttered and started jogging back over to the others and I followed quickly, gun drawn. Rick, Glenn, and Hershel were in the parking lot, staring at the car and I could see the others standing at the door, looking out but not emerging. Maggie caught my eye and I held up a hand, gesturing for them to stay where they were.

The other guys were standing near the pumps, directly in front of the door whereas Daryl and I were approaching from the side. Just as we stopped moving, the door opened. My fingers twitched on the trigger of my gun and I held it up, not waiting for any signal from Rick.

A large man with a baldhead and tattoos covering his arm got out along with another guy with dark, curly, hair with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. I could tell there were others in the car but they made no move to get out. The two who did wore smiles but there was something more sinister brewing under the surface. They raised their hands and looked around at the four guns and crossbow pointed at them.

"Well, this is that southern hospitality I've heard so much about," the one with dark hair said, sizing each of us up. "You have no idea how happy we are to see you. We were beginning to think we were the last ones left. I'm Jesse. And that there is Frank. And you are?" He continued, his smile widening but none of us lowered out weapons.

"I'm Rick Grimes. This is my group. Glenn, Hershel, Daryl, and Adeline," Rick's voice was tight but I could tell that he was hoping these people were like us.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. We were just scavenging for some supplies and fuel. Anything here?" He asked, lowering his hands and throwing the cigarette on the concrete and stomping it out.

"No. We've searched the place and can't find anything other than about three drops of gas. We were just getting ready to head out," Rick lied easily.

"Who is in the car?" I asked, the movement becoming more constant and I was worried they were planning something. Jesse looked at me, a little surprised.

"Just more of our group. No need to worry, they're harmless. But it's a shame there was nothing left. Maybe we could travel together for a bit, look for some supplies and split them up. Safety in numbers, right?" He asked, turning back to Rick.

"Well we were heading north, actually. Looked like you lot were heading west. We'd best get going though. Good luck to you all," he was dismissive and holstered his gun, waving for the others to come out of the store.

"Look man. We've been on the road for months, had to do things humans should never have to do, lost people. We need some outside contact," that was Frank who spoke. The others came out with their bags, no supplies visible thankfully. Everyone dropped their weapons except for me, I kept a tight grasp just in case.

"You think we haven't had to do the same thing? Think we haven't lost people? Everyone has. Now, I'm sorry for your losses but you can't come with us," Rick was whispering harshly and his eyes flicked to me when he talked about losses. My heart squeezed but I shoved all that emotion back. No time now.

"Now," a new voice said, "that' s no way to treat people. We were just trying to help. Looks like you've got a good group here, just want some protection," the back door of the car flew open and three more guys jumped out, guns up.

"Listen, we aren't stupid. We know there are supplies and gas here. So hand it over and we can all leave in one piece," Jesse continued and my gun was aimed right at his head.

I took a second to survey the situation. My gun was trained on Jesse. His gun was pointed at Rick. Frank's gun was pointed at Hershel. Two of the others had their sights set on Daryl and me. The last guy was aiming in the general direction of the group. Since Rick had put up his gun earlier, he didn't have it in his hands and drawing it would be suicide. Daryl and I were the only two who had a means of protection.

"Now isn't that just adorable. Look sweetheart, why don't you put that gun down before you hurt yourself," Jesse laughed at me and my blood boiled.

"If I were you, I'd shut up and put those guns down before I blow your brains out," I snarled and I saw a flash of surprise on his face.

"Hold on. Let's just talk about this. I'm sure we can reach some sort of agreement," Rick said, holding out his hand. The tension was mounting and I wondered how long it would be until everything blew up.

"Just hand over the supplies and you can leave."

"And maybe one of those pretty women. That one there looks like she's feisty. I like that," Frank added, looking at me and I snarled. I felt Daryl tense next to me but he didn't move.

Rick caught my eye while all the men were laughing at the joke. He slowly pulled his gun out and lifted it to aim at Jesse's head. He nodded and fired. The gunshot rang out loudly and Jesse slumped to the ground as I fired at Frank and a bolt went through one of the other's heads. I felt a bullet bite into my arm and cried out in pain. Rick and Daryl dispatched the last two and Daryl knelt at my side.

"Addie," he said.

"I'm fine. It's just my arm," I told him quickly, getting back up and looking at the carnage around me.

"We need to move. Every walker in this town heard that and will be here soon," Rick ordered, herding us back towards the cars. My heart rate was slowing but I was still on an adrenaline high as I climbed back onto the motorcycle. "We're nearly there. Just another thirty miles or so and we'll be at the beach."

Daryl cranked the bike and we were off again, leaving five dead bodies in our wake.

…

I could see the ocean. A weight lifted off my chest at the sight of the waves lapping over the shore. I could have cried with joy, until I remembered that Shane wasn't here to share this with me. For a moment I imagined what he would say, then I shoved it all back, building more walls against my emotions.

The sea breeze was ruffling my hair and I could smell the salty water. The sun was starting to set so watching the colors reflect on the water was soothing. I couldn't believe anything so beautiful could still exist in a world this ugly and dark, a world where my brother no longer existed. We pulled onto the sand and stopped. I climbed off of the bike and walked over to the water and stood where the waves just lapped at my feet. We were on a secluded section of beach and there was no danger in sight, we were cut off from the main beach by a large cliff of rocks, protection. The water was freezing but I welcomed the coolness, it made me feel something other than the numbness that had been eating me all day. I felt a tear slide down my face and a lump in my throat made it hard to breathe. I managed a shaky breath before the tears started again. I wiped at them in frustration but there was no stopping them anymore.

Instead, I made an irrational decision. I ran onto the small pier and started stripping down to my tank top and underwear and when I made it to the end, I dived off into the water. It was like being stabbed as the cold water slapped me. My throat contracted but I managed to find a rhythm and warmth gradually filled me. I swam underwater for as long as I could before finally breaking the surface and coming up for air.

"Adeline! Adeline!" I heard someone yelling.

"Yo Walsh! What the hell are you thinking? Get out of the water!" That was Daryl's voice. He was standing on the sand with the others who were all looking at me like I had lost my mind. I took a deep breath and went under again, silencing their noise. Beneath the waves, it was quiet and peaceful, a blissful coolness that allowed me to think clearly for the first time since leaving the farm. My tears were unnoticeable and there was no one around to see my weakness as I mourned my brother. I screamed and saw the bubbles rise up to the surface but just kept swimming. When I was forced to come up again I was far away from the shore, I could just make out individual faces but there was one missing. Just as soon as I realized that, something broke the water next to me.

I looked at Daryl's wet head and stern face and knew he was pissed.

"What the hell Walsh? Are you trying to get yourself killed? This water could be contaminated! Not to mention you're gonna freeze to death if you don't get your ass back on that beach!" He was yelling right in my face and I instantly responded by shutting down.

"It's none of your damn business Dixon!" I yelled back.

"Really? Then whose is it? Because if you remember correctly what happened last night, I think it is my business," he hissed and I felt a small fracture in the walls I had built.

"Last night was…" I trailed off, not able to find the right word.

"Was what Walsh?"

"I don't know! Okay? I don't know what it was and that is the problem! I'm scared and confused and I don't know how to deal with any of this! My brother is dead, Daryl. He's dead and never coming back. Then on top of that, I don't know what to think about you and me, or if there is even anything to think about!" I stammered frantically, tears coming again and I hated myself a little more with each one. "God I'm becoming a Lori." I laughed humorlessly and wiped my eyes.

"Addie," my name in his deep voice melted me. "I'm not good with this kind of stuff, this emotional stuff, but I know that last night was something. Something I've never experienced before. And I know you're scared and upset, and that's okay, but I want more nights like last night. That came out wrong…I want to be with you Addie. Damn you for making me say that," he said, rubbing his chin and I smiled sadly at him before running my hand through his hair. "And you are nothing like Lori," he laughed and I leaned in and kissed him quickly.

"Daryl Dixon the sweet talking, cuddly, teddy bear," I laughed and he glared at me harshly before jerking his head back to the shore and I nodded and ducked under the water and swam back. We both surfaced and walked the rest of the way shoulder-to-shoulder, ready to face whatever came next.


	38. Chapter 38

_A/N: I'm back! What, weren't expecting me so soon? Well here I am! With a very short transition chapter. Man, winter is hard to deal with, so much I want to do but not sure how to do it...well I'm looking forward to the next few chapters, a lot of character development and relationship progression for all of the gang. Please read and review!_

I walked back up to the pier and grabbed my clothes and quickly shed the wet clothes for the only pair of dry ones I had. The rescue of supplies had been minimal and we would definitely have to stock up before long. Daryl changed too and I smiled at him with his still wet hair.

"I should kill you for making me jump in that water," he growled playfully.

"Well no one said you had to play knight in shining armor. That was your own egotistical decision," I shrugged, trying to keep a straight face but failing as a smile pulled at my lips and I tied up my wet hair.

"Cute. Real cute Walsh. Oh, by the way, I've got something for you," he said and started digging in his bag. I sat on the bike with a furrowed brow as to what he could be looking for.

"A present?" I asked, leaning over to try and see. He pulled out my sketchbook and handed it to me.

"I thought it might be something you wanted, grabbed it last night before we bolted," he said.

"Thank you," I told him sincerely and hugged him tightly. I hadn't even thought about the book in all that had happened since, but it was still nice to have it around, especially now. Sadness came over me again as I stroked the cover.

"Shane bought this for me for my thirteenth birthday. I've always loved to draw, had sketches hanging all over our house. Gave it to me and said he didn't want to see all of those things around, to keep them inside the book," I smiled sadly and took a deep breath, working through the grief just like I had when my parents died. I sat the book down and smoothed my shirt before looking up at Daryl.

"Adeline," it was Carol. She walked up to us and handed me a can of something. "It's tea, I had some in my bag, figured it could warm you up," she said gesturing over to where the others were making a small fire within a crevice in the rock face.

"Thanks," I replied and took a sip. It was awful, but I managed a smile and she retreated, satisfied that she had done a good deed. "Now I remember why I hate tea," I told Daryl and offered him the tin but he wrinkled his nose so I poured it out. I looked out at the now dark sky and the stars and thought about the good times I'd had with Shane, how he was always there and loved me. Daryl was leaning against the bike and spoke after a long stretch of me silently grieving.

"You know, one time when I was younger, Merle and me went out hunting for squirrels and he told me that life was too important to get bogged down with relationships. That they caused too much drama and hardship to be bothered with. But, he said that family was something that couldn't be replaced and that it was the most important thing in life. He said he'd do anything for me and that he'd be there. Then he wasn't. He got sent off to juvie and left me alone," he spoke softly and fidgeted with the rather emotional topic. I knew that he was giving me this, this piece of him that he never shared and letting me know I wasn't alone. I smiled a little and rested my head on his shoulder and watched the fire lick at the sky, the guilt and heartache flying away with the smoke.

…

Morning came slowly and I was already awake before the sun came up, too many nightmares waiting for me to close my eyes. Daryl and I had made our way back over to everyone else last night and set up camp.

Once everyone else began to wake up, I walked over to the water and put my feet in, walking along the beach, watching the sky turn pink and orange, a new day, a fresh start. We ate little, not much left so it had to last.

"We'll go scouting today, see if we can find anything. We could always try to fish," Rick said and I refrained from snapping at him. My boiling hatred was starting to cool into an icy indifference. I didn't know which was worse. We had just started preparing to leave when we heard the first groans.

My head snapped up and I saw the herd heading towards us. I quickly pulled my gun as did the others and we quickly started discussing our options. The same rocks that offered us protection also blocked us in.

"We take as many as we can and run. We'll need to split up, spread them out. Meet back up at that Wal-Mart up the road," Rick ordered and we obeyed silently. Daryl grabbed my arm and we shot our way through to his bike, which he started and drove quickly. We made it to the rendezvous point first and waited in tense silence. We heard the sound of engines and I let out a sigh of relief as the other cars came into view. Everyone had made it.

"Where did they come from?" Lori asked, all of us trying to catch our breath.

"They had to come from the west," Daryl answered, "East is blocked by water and the north had the rock barricade. And there was no way they were from the south since that's the way we came and didn't see them before." He reasoned through everything and we all took his word for it.

"While we're here we might as well scavenge for whatever we can find," Rick sounded defeated. Things were going from bad to worse and we were all beginning to wonder just how long we could survive.


	39. Chapter 39

_A/N: Hello again everyone! I am on a roll here lately, but things might slow down again here in a couple of days. I don't want to burn myself out, but there will definitely be at least one update a week, and that is a promise unless unforeseen events occur. This is another relatively short chapter but I like where things are heading. Be patient please. And read and review!_

The Wal-Mart proved to be less helpful than the gas station. The shelves had already been picked over and there was nothing useful save for some blankets that no one had thought to take in the heat of summer. We loaded up our find and hit the road again, until we had to find more fuel. This was getting old very fast. We were in the middle of nowhere, back roads being deemed safer by Rick. That proved a wise choice when it concerned gas, however, because the next station we came across actually had some. We filled up the cars and an extra can, all ecstatic by the sudden change of luck.

We were resting now, drinking hot bottled water from the store and eating old crackers and beef jerky. I was sitting on the hood of one of the cars with Daryl leaning against it next to me. I hopped down once I finished the food and drained the bottle to stretch before we started our journey again. Hours on that bike made my muscles complain. I started walking down the road to stretch my legs and saw a sign that brought a smile to my face.

_Mercy, Georgia-30 miles_

My hometown! Mercy was where Shane and I grew up, where my mother was born too.

"Rick!" I called and ran back to the station where everyone was on their feet with weapons in hand. "No! No walkers, sorry," I called out of breath and they all relaxed but Rick still fixed me with a strange look. I hadn't even spoken to him since the other night. "Rick, we're near Mercy! It's only thirty miles away!" I was yelling but I couldn't help it. I was excited.

"Really? I didn't even realize…." He trailed off.

"We could go there," I interrupted with excitement. "Hunker down for winter."

"I don't know. It could be overrun," he said, scratching at his beard and a flash of annoyance sparked inside of me.

"Or it could be the refuge we've been looking for," I groaned with a pleading note.

"It couldn't hurt to at least check it out," Daryl said gruffly and I nodded eagerly in agreement.

"We're this close."

"Okay. We'll go see. But at the first sign of trouble we're getting out. Take five more minutes before we go," Rick finally agreed and I smiled, looking forward to going back to the last place where my life made sense.

…

Daryl and I led the group since I was the most familiar with the area. I nearly bounced in anticipation as we hit the town limit and the familiar sights put me more at ease than I had been in weeks. All that was missing was Shane next to me but I pushed those thoughts away. I told Daryl to stop next to the gas station that marked where the town began. I hopped off the bike and everyone was filing out of the cars carefully, on the alert for walkers.

"Maggie, Lori, T-Dog, and Carol go check out the store. The rest of us will run a quick sweep to see if there are any immediate threats and meet you back here," Rick ordered and they went into the store with weapons raised.

"Daryl, Adeline, and Beth go right and work around and the rest of us will go left," he continued and I saw Daryl string a bolt and I checked my gun. Not much ammo, we would need to find some, and fast. There was a gun store here, maybe they had something. I understood Rick's division of groups, and for once, agreed with him. This way, both teams had someone who knew the town and plenty of muscle if something should arise.

"I'll lead the way," I told Daryl, glad that Rick had given us this side of town, wow two good calls in one day. Had to be a record for him. The redneck nodded and gestured for me to start walking.

The streets were eerily quiet and empty, not a sound except for our footsteps crunching the dead leaves on the sidewalk. Rick had ordered us to only check perimeter, not to dig into the town yet, just to assess danger levels. Since Beth was with us, I decided to listen and we made our way around the town quickly and without seeing one walker. It was too good to be true, but I was elated to be home again. Once we were satisfied that all was well, we circled back to where we'd left the others and discovered Rick's group was already back with similar news. No signs of the dead. On top of that, the scavenge group had found the holy grail of supplies, lots of food and water and there was even gas in the pumps. Maybe our luck was changing after all.

"Now if we can find a place to hole up, we'll be okay," Hershel said with a smile, a real one that was mirrored on all of our faces at the thought of an actual sanctuary.

"The town must have fallen early for it to be so empty. A lot of the supplies may still be intact, we need to search all of the stores we can. Maybe we'll get luck," he said and looked at us all meaningfully. This was our chance.

"Well," I said, deciding to take some initiative, Rick had done pretty well today and I couldn't expect that to last much longer. "Daryl and I could scout for a place to stay while you guys look for supplies." Rick looked speculative for a moment but then nodded.

"Okay. But be careful, and meet us back here in an hour," he ordered, still holding onto that authority. I was still angry and raw but knew I had to work with Rick, at least for the time being. I nodded and started walking with Daryl right behind me. I was insanely distracted by memories of the town but was trying to focus and make sure all was well.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Daryl asked and a smirk formed on my lips.

"Home," I said easily and walked calmly down the deserted street that led to the only place I had ever really belonged. "Two blocks up and a right will lead to the residential area of town," I told him, pointing ahead.

"So this is where you grew up?" Daryl asked and I nodded, nostalgic as I imagined the neighborhood like it had been when I was a kid. Children running up and down the streets, laughing and playing games, parents watching from the porch and the smell of someone grilling almost every night in the summer.

"Yeah. That is where I went to school," I told him, pointing to the two story brick building on our left marked Mercy Elementary and Middle School. I didn't know whether to be happy or sad as the familiar houses and building surrounded me and filled me with memories.

We turned and I saw the group of houses that marked the residential area of town where I had lived. I smiled at the white house on the corner, looking out into the street. It was rundown but I would recognize it anywhere. I started running, my feet pounding on the concrete.

"Whoa! Hang on girl!" Daryl called and started running after me, but I made it to the door a good ten seconds before him. I stared at the door with wide eyes, hands lingering on the knob, debating whether or not open it. I took a deep breath and turned it, the door swinging open with a squeak at the slightest pressure. Instead of being blasted with the smell of cinnamon and something baking in the oven like when I was a child, hot air wafted over me from the closed door during the long summer months.

I stepped inside and the boards complained under my feet. It was dark but light from the opened door and a few windows revealed a thick layer of dust covering every surface. Obviously new furniture filled the rooms since another family had moved in after my parents died.

"This looks as safe as any other place," I said quickly as Daryl pushed his way into the house.

"Quick to say so. Let's at least do a sweep first," he said and I agreed.

"I'll take upstairs," I said and headed that way immediately. The steps creaked even more loudly than the floor but I kept going at a steady pace, on guard just in case something was awry.

The first door I came to was the bathroom. I opened it and did a quick assessment, noting that it was empty but still had some things in it, looks like whoever was living here was left in a hurry. The next door was Shane's old bedroom and I took a deep, shuddering breath before opening it. It swung in and I looked around it as well. Empty just like everywhere else but there was signs of things being packed quickly. Before I turned to leave, I walked over to the closet and pulled it open too. Some clothes hung precariously from hangers and I shoved them aside to look at the back wall. There was where Shane had carved his name into the wall. My dad had been furious but Shane never once apologized for it, saying he wanted to leave his mark here. I ran my fingers over the crude carving, feeling the grief I had managed to swallow come back in full force.

Before I could give into it completely, I left the closet and then the room altogether, shutting the door softly behind me. My room was next and it was remarkably similar to the way it had been. The color of the walls was the same and similar bedding covered the small bed. This must have served as a guest room since it showed no signs of being lived in. I touched the walls lovingly but walked out and went to the final room, my parents' room. This one had been completely remodeled, but was once again empty as was their bathroom. I even took the liberty of checking all the closets before heading back downstairs to meet Daryl.

"This place is completely empty. Just like the rest of the town. It's strange," I said, feeling uneasy for the first time since passing the sign that said Welcome to Mercy. I found the name ironic and comforting at the same time.

"Well, that makes it a good place to stay," he said and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. I smiled at him, looking into those beautiful blue eyes. This felt right in so many ways. I should be in this house with Daryl, it should be that way. But there was a lot wrong too. There shouldn't be walkers crawling all over the place. Shane should be upstairs in his room, avoiding the rest of us and my parents should be sitting on the couch across from us. My mom would be talking and laughing with something cooking in the kitchen while my dad interrogated Daryl. I could almost picture it.

"Yeah. Let's go get the others," I said, shattering the perfect dream and returning to the nightmare that was my life.


	40. Chapter 40

_A/n: Hey everyone! I've had this chapter written for a few days but I don't really like how it turned out and have re-written it like 20 times. Then, there were some technical issues, but here it is, still not great but here. Next chapter, things will pick back up. I want to thank all of you for your continued support, please keep it coming. I've gotten several messages offering ideas, and those are welcome, please send them, you will definitely be acknowledged. And holy crap! Can you believe this is our_ **fortieth**

We made it back to the others who had scavenged for supplies while we were scouting. They'd hit the jackpot and were all in high spirits. I felt like I should be too but I couldn't shake the feeling of dread I'd had since leaving the house. Meanwhile, they had found food, not a lot, but enough to hold us over for a while if we rationed correctly. As I had suspected, the gun store proved invaluable and we were now stocked up on ammo and weapons, including some new knives. Blankets were becoming more of a necessity as the nights grew colder and the general store didn't let us down, we wouldn't be cold.

"Found a place," Daryl said after Rick had finished recounting their success.

"Great, where?" He asked, cheerful at our good fortune, but that happiness grated on my nerves a bit, but I pushed it aside and spoke.

"My old house. It's clear and big enough for all of us to fit comfortably," I deadpanned.

"Okay," he said after giving me a curious look. "Let's go." We loaded up the stuff and drove to the house, making sure the cars were easily accessible should something go wrong. We took the bags inside and Rick did one more run through, just to make sure everything was clear.

"We can all sleep in the living room, to stay close. Don't want to risk getting separated," Rick instructed, looking around the room. "We should board up these windows, just to be safe."

"Yeah, T-Dog and I can go back to that hardware store and get some plywood and fix them up," Glenn said and Rick nodded.

"Good idea. The rest of us will work on setting up. Unpack what we need but not everything. We have to be ready to move."

Everyone started hustling about to do their individual tasks. I helped unpack what we needed before sneaking off upstairs. I went back into Shane's room with my bag and opened the closet once more, staring at that carving. I rustled in my bag until I found Shane's shirt, the one he had given me when we were working on the farm. I breathed in his scent, still potent on the fabric.

I don't know how long I sat there, wallowing in my grief. I knew I'd have to work past it eventually, but now it was all I could do to keep moving, pushing it all back but I knew it had to come out. Tears didn't come this time, it wasn't enough to express the emptiness inside me. Shane had been my one constant, no matter what, I always knew he'd be there. Sure, he'd changed over the last few weeks, but I knew he still would do anything for me. He had promised he would always be there for me.

Finally, I stood up, took a few deep breaths and walked out and back downstairs. I paused in front of the mirror in the hallway and looked at myself. I couldn't remember the last time any of us had seen our reflections and it wasn't pretty. I was covered in dirt and blood and my hair was a mess of knots and tangles. My eyes were slightly puffy but I hoped no one would notice. I turned away and walked back into the living room, where everyone was settling in and getting ready to wind down for the night.

The windows had been secured and the doors locked, we were as safe as we could get. It was cold inside, but the blankets and sleeping bags would take care of that. Carol and Lori were pulling out some food for everyone, more crackers and beef jerky. We ate our fill and just sat awhile, not really knowing what to do. It would be easy to lapse back into the life we had on the farm and fall into a sense of security, but we knew better now. No where was safe, only places to catch our breath. We kept moving but really had no idea where we were going or what we would do if we got there. It was one of those nights where I thought about what the future may hold. I tried not to do that very often, not really wanting those thoughts running around when I needed to be ready to fight in a moment's notice. But now, I did. I thought about what may happen if this plague ever ended, what could be waiting for us in another state or maybe another country. Maybe some parts of the world hadn't been hit like this, there had to still be civilization out there somewhere.

I thought about one of Shane's favorite TV shows, _Doctor Who_ and wished that it was real. But most importantly I remembered a quote from one of the episodes. That humans will always find a way to survive, and I had to believe that now. This couldn't be all that was left to life, running and scrounging and fighting for the simple right of living only to be taken down in the end. How long could we really survive out here? A year? Five years? If no end was in sight, there really was no hope.

The thoughts did nothing for my already sour mood, only casting a greater shadow on what should be a happy moment of reprieve. Rick decided Lori needed to sleep in a bed and she, Rick, and Carl, went to the master bedroom to sleep. Glenn, Maggie went to the guest bedroom while Hershel and Beth went to my old room.

"T-Dog, you or Carol take the other room," I said, not wanting to sleep in the room full of painful memories. Carol relunctantly agreed and went upstairs as well.

"T can take the couch, Daryl and I are taking first watch anyway," I told him and he did so. Really, only one of us was needed for watch, but I knew I wouldn't be sleeping anyway so we figured so sets of eyes were better than one.

We walked outside, T locking the door back behind us, and sat on the porch. I looked up at the sky and thought about my camping trip with Shane when we'd tried to count the stars and laughed so hard at ourselves that we were in tears. A ghost of a smile came to my lips at the thought.

"You'd think it would get easier, dealing with grief. I've been through this so many times, seems like it shouldn't even bother me anymore," I whispered, seeing the faintest outline of my breath in the night sky.

"I don't know. Seems like it gets harder," Daryl responded.

"Yeah, like each loss hits you with the weight of the past ones on top of it. I just don't know how we've lived surrounded by so much death and not become immune to it. I guess it's different when you're close," I said with a shrug and hugged myself.

"It's no fun, losing a brother. No matter what kind of person he was," I instantly felt terrible. I'd been so rapped up in my own grief that I had completely neglected the fact that Daryl had lost his brother too, another product of Rick's fine decision making.

"No, it doesn't matter what kind of person, they are your brother and that's all that matters," I agreed, feeling another level of bonding forming between us as we shared the grief that consumed us both.

A comfortable silence fell between us and we looked up at the sky and wondered how we would ever get out of this mess.


	41. Chapter 41

_A/N: Hey everyone! Well, Rick, Addie, and I sat down today and had a looonng discussion. Let me tell you, it was a grueling conversation with lots of yelling, but I think we made some progress. This chapter isn't exactly where I want it to be, but I think it serves the purpose I'm trying to achieve. So please read and review! I hope you enjoy!_

Glenn and Maggie came out to relieve us around three and we went inside and made our pallets on the floor. It didn't take long for Daryl to fall asleep, his soft snoring the only sound in the house. I was exhausted and soon fell asleep too. The nightmares started that night. I woke up in a cold sweat, a scream in my throat as I bolted upright. I managed not to call out but my heart was beating so quickly it's a wonder everyone didn't hear it. Tears fell from my eyes and I curled into a ball, trying to hold myself together.

It had been so horrible, my worst fears played on the screen of my subconscious. I had seen Shane dying, him bleeding out, fear and pain evident in his brown eyes. He was crying out for me, begging me to help him and pleading with Rick not to do it. He was alone and afraid, wanting more than anything to be with me, wondering if I was safe and worrying about how I would cope without him. Even while he was dying, he was worrying about me. I woke up once his final, jagged, breath left his lungs and he cried out my name one last time.

I couldn't even begin to cope with that dream, there was just a numbness in my chest and I felt like I couldn't breathe correctly. I gulped in air as best I could and tried to keep my emotions in check. Before the dream, I'd blamed Rick for what happened, hated him with every bone in my body. But now? Now the blame was on me as well. Shane was scared and alone and I couldn't comfort him. If I had gone with him and Rick, maybe I could have stepped in and he'd still be alive. Maybe I had been blaming the wrong person all along. I'd abandoned him, something I swore I would never do. I looked down at the scars on my wrists and remembered how Shane had been there for me when I needed him and I didn't return the favor.

A strangled noise escaped my throat and I bit my lip to keep from waking nayone up. Daryl was moving and slung his arm out to where I had been lying beside him and I saw his brow furrow in confusion at the empty sheets. I quickly scrambled back over to lie beside him so he would stay asleep. It worked and I was left alone with my thoughts. The tears stopped, not enough to express the utter heartache I felt.

It was bad enough that we hadn't parted on good terms, but to have my dreams give life to the very things I'd tried to forget? That was too much. Not knowing what else to do, I rustled in my bag until I found my sketch book and a pencil. I immediately took comfort in the familiar objects and opened the book up to a blank page. I began drawing, feeling the tension flow out of my body with each pencil stroke. A few tears hit the page as I drew a picture from memory. A picture that had hung in this very house for years, Shane on his first day of college. Mom had insisted on taking dozens of pictures before finally letting him leave, and this was the one that made it on the wall.

He was leaning against the door, the suitcases all around him, smiling somewhat forced due to how long this was taking. At the last moment, he'd pulled me in and the picture took with me stumbling into the frame, pressed against his side, the goofiest look on my face, hair flying everywhere. Mom had laughed so hard I thought she was going to pass out, she was a photographer and normally hated candid shots, but she said that one was just too cute to pass up. Against all of my protests, it had earned a spot on the wall with the rest of our family pictures and always became a conversation starter when people came over. I felt a pang in my chest at all the photos that had been lost, but this one was so burned into my memory that I had no problem recreating it, down to the dimples on Shane's cheeks.

When I was done, I studied the page, seeing that moment captured forever brought a smile to my face. It was amazing how much better I felt after pouring my heart onto the page. I ran my hand over the picture, calling on the memory to keep me going before lying the book down and curling up to go back to sleep.

…

I woke up again with the sound of rain pounding on the rooftop. I sat up and stretched, trying to work out the cramps and stiffness. Everyone else was still sleeping soundly and I stood up, careful to not wake Daryl. I walked over to the window and peeked out of the slots between the wooden barricades to see the rain falling heavily, wind blowing, and lightning illuminating the sky. Maggie and Glenn were still outside, curled up on the porch trying to stay dry.

I hear footsteps on the stairs and turned around to see Rick walking into the room. I turned away and went back to looking out the window, definitely not wanting to deal with him so early in the morning. His presence brought last night's dream back to mind and I cringed at the image.

"Adeline," he spoke softly, walking to stand next to me. I didn't speak but didn't tell him to go away either. I call that progress. "We need to talk."

"I don't have anything to say," I told him firmly, wanting him to just go away.

"That's a first," he said and I spun to face him, this was no time for joking.

"What do you want?" I asked, deciding that if he wasn't going to go away, I might as well make this pass as quickly as possible.

"To talk. I need you to understand…"

"I'll never understand Rick," I told him immediately.

"Just hear me out, please," I sighed and nodded, grinding my teeth at what I knew was to come. "I loved Shane, he was my best friend. I miss him too, but he wasn't himself Adeline, he had changed. I know you saw it too, saw how reckless and irritable he was becoming. The _last_ thing I ever wanted to do was hurt him, but he gave me no choice, he was going to kill me. I had no choice," he spoke every word slowly and never broke eye contact with me. Anger bubbled inside me but I let him finish.

"Maybe Shane was changing, but he loved you too, and he wouldn't dream of hurting you. Ever," my voice was shaky as I questioned that statement but quickly shook the thought from my head.

"I wouldn't lie to you. I never have and never will. You're like a sister to me Ads, always have been and I understand you're angry, but I don't want you to hate me forever, especially now. We need each other, our survival depends on it," he said.

"No. No way. Shane…he wouldn't," but even as I said the words, doubt crept into my mind and anger radiated through me. "No! You're lying!" I screamed at him, trying to shake the doubt running through my brain. I shoved him and unlocked and yanked open the door, running off the porch and into the rain, letting it soak me and wash away those bad thoughts.

Maggie and Glenn looked startled but didn't move from there spot. I ran a hand through my now wet hair and tried to think through what had just happened. My initial gut instinct was to dismiss everything Rick said and be done with it. Then, there was another, smaller, part of me that wondered if there was truth in what he said.

My mind wandered to our last encounter without my permission. Shane had been so angry and bitter, he had hurt me, and that wasn't the Shane I knew. The kind, gentle, good-natured, Shane who loved me no matter what. Then, there was what Daryl had said back on the farm when they found Randall, that Shane had led Randall out there. I had dismissed that because I didn't believe that he wanted Randall dead badly enough to create such an elaborate scheme. But, what if Randall wasn't the target? What if it had been Rick? No. I shoved the thought away instantly, but I couldn't erase the confusion that lingered. For the first time since Shane died, I felt anger towards someone other than Rick, I was angry at him. He'd changed, he'd been the one who was causing so much tension in the group, trying to pull me away from Daryl who had been my lifeline through this situation, he'd left me alone. What kind of brother would do that?


	42. Chapter 42

_A/N: Hello everyone! Well, this chapter has officially caused me to lose my mind! I've stared at this computer screen for hours and even when I wasn't it was in the back of my mind taunting me. So you better like it! Haha, sorry I'm a little sleep deprived, but I really hope you like it because I didn't receive a lot of feedback from the last chapter so I'm not sure what's going on. Tell me in a review what you'd like to see or what I'm doing you don't like. But anyway, for those of you still with me, please enjoy!_

I walked back onto the porch, soaking wet and shivering. Maggie and Glenn both wore concerned looks on their faces and the door opened and Daryl stepped out. He walked over to me and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. I smiled at him and sat down on the porch, wringing out my clothes and hair and trying to stay warm. My mind started wandering to before the world went to hell. I hadn't thought about that life in a long time and now it washed over me like a river.

On the forefront of my mind was the day I started art school. I was twenty-one and had just moved out of Shane's house after graduating college. This was my first time on my own since the incident and my brother was more than a little nervous. I was only one town over and it took less than twenty minutes to travel between my apartment and Shane and Rick's place back in King County where they were both working as cops. Shane had insisted on coming with me to check out the new place and make sure it was safe. I rolled my eyes at his worrywart nature but relented and welcomed the help of unloading all of my belongings.

"Now this seems like a pretty good neighborhood, but be careful. No walking alone at night, keep the deadbolt locked and don't let anyone in you don't know," he instructed, inspecting the locks on the doors.

"Yes sir," I mocked and he glared at me.

"Addie, I'm serious," he said and I sighed.

"I know Shane, I'll be careful. Promise," I told him and flopped down on the small couch.

"You want me to stick around until your roommates show up? We could go get some dinner and check out the town," he said, trying to look nonchalant but failing miserably, causing me to laugh.

"Sure Shane, let's go," I told him to ease his anxiety and we left the apartment and headed downtown to a diner that had been advertised every half mile on the way over here.

We ordered some burgers and ate while making casual conversation. The waitress was shamelessly flirting with Shane and I was trying to contain my laughter for her sake. By the time we left, he had her phone number and was glowing with egotistical pride. I rolled my eyes as he slung his arm around my shoulder as we made our way down the street on foot to have a look around. There wasn't too much to see, just another small town in Georgia with its convenience stores and fast food restaurants. However, its redeeming quality was the Preston College of the Arts. It stood in the middle of town, a piece of art all its own.

After determining we'd seen everything worth seeing, we went back to the apartment and the door was open and there was chatter inside. I walked in and sat my bag down and waited for the blonde haired girl to notice my arrival. She turned around and smiled widely and ran to me and wrapped me in a hug.

"You must be Adeline! It's so good to meet you, I'm Tiffany Scott, but you know that already. Who's this? Is he your boyfriend? He's really cute," she bombarded me with questions and gushed about how great the apartment was and how she couldn't wait to get to know me better. Once she finally stopped I began answering her questions.

"Yes, I'm Adeline. It's nice to meet you too. And no, this is my brother Shane," I said, feeling worn out after her hurricane of a conversation.

"Oh, well hello, it's nice to meet you. Do you know if Diane is here yet?" She asked me after sizing up Shane with a rather flirtatious wink.

"I haven't seen her but I just got here too," I told her and she kept gushing about how great this was going to be and Shane and I were trying not to laugh.

"Well I have to go set up my bookshelf so I'll see you later. Maybe we can all go out for dinner later," she said and started retreating into her bedroom.

"Actually Shane is just about to leave, but I'm sure he'd be happy to help you with your bookshelf if you need him," I said with a mischievous smirk and Shane glared at me but went to help her anyway. I knew that this was the beginning of a new part of my life.

I was yanked out of the memory by another blanket being draped over my shoulders. I looked around at the still stormy sky and sighed. That was another life, and another world, this was my reality now. Sitting in the rain with an aching in my heart and a growling in my stomach that was a constant reminder of how fragile our existence was now. I stood up and shrugged off the blankets, turning towards Daryl with a small smile.

"I'm going to go change," I told him, handing him the blankets and walked inside. Everyone was starting to get up now, gathering in the living room but I grabbed my bag and headed upstairs to the bathroom and changed into a pair of jeans and the only long-sleeved shirt I had with me. I fixed my hair back up on my head and pulled my boots on before heading back down to the others. Daryl had come back in and was inspecting his bow.

"We just need to lay low for today, stay in and make a plan on what to do next," Rick said, pacing the floor while the rest of us sat around him in a circle. "We'll take turns keeping watch. I'll take the first one," he said and headed outside, leaving the rest of us alone to sit in the living room, unsure of what to do.

The past snuck up on me again and I found my mind going back to my old life. It was the day after Shane dropped me off at my apartment. Tiffany and Diane were both attending a technical school in town and were fascinated that I was going to art school. They'd insisted on spending the night pouring over all of my drawings. So now it was morning and time for my first class and I was exhausted. I showered and got dressed and practically ran all the way to the school for fear of being late.

I pulled out the map of the school and found my way to the Eliot Building Room 308: Introduction to Photo Realism. I took my seat right as Professor Reid came in and wrote his name on the board. Like with all classes the first day, he just went over what the class was about and how he graded, nothing important. I had a fifteen-minute break before my next class and wandered into the canteen since I had skipped breakfast and got some coffee and a pack of mini donuts. I turned around and bumped into someone, nearly spilling my hot coffee.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I muttered, backing up and looking to see who I'd nearly scalded with the scorching beverage.

"No, my fault, should have been paying more attention," he said. I gave him a good look. He had dirty blonde hair that fell slightly over his insanely blue eyes. He was tall, very tall. He had nearly half a foot on me and oh was he muscular. Definitely not the type of guy I imagined at art school. "I'm Dean. Dean Carter," he said, extending his hand to me.

"Adeline Walsh," I said and took his hand with a smile.

"So, are you from around here?" He asked, leaning against the vending machine.

"Not here, I came here from King County. I've been here a couple of times but never for longer than a day," I told him, taking a sip of the coffee.

"Well, I've lived here my whole life, so maybe I could show you around. Maybe grab some dinner and take the official Preston County tour," he said with a smirk and I couldn't fight the goofy grin on my face.

"That would be nice," I said.

"Here, let me get your number and I'll call you," he said and handed me a pen and strip of paper. I scrawled out my number and returned it.

"Cool. So I'll see you around Adeline Walsh," he said and walked away, leaving me grinning like an idiot in the canteen.

"Adeline," Lori's voice dragged me back to the present and I was more than a little annoyed. "Can I speak with you for a minute?" She asked and jerked her head towards the kitchen. I sighed and stood up, deciding not to argue with her right now, my mind still absorbed by the memory of Dean.

"What is it?" I asked her once we were in the other room. She looked uncomfortable and was wringing her hands in a sign of obvious nervousness.

"I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry," she began and I felt my walls snap up, all fuzzy, warm, feelings gone now that I was standing here with her in this situation.

"Lori, don't," I warned through gritted teeth. I had successfully pushed my doubts about Shane from my mind and now they were running back up, demanding to be noticed.

"Adeline, please, just let me finish. I'm sorry about Shane. I really am. I don't know what happened but Shane was a good guy and he loved you," she said and emotions swarmed me from all sides.

"Thank you," was all I said after a full minute of me silently staring at my shoes and her staring at me in awkward silence. Satisfied that she had done a good deed, she left me alone in the kitchen and I sank against the counter, the sadness coming back ten fold. Once I managed to calm down, I walked back in to join the others and took a seat on the floor next to Daryl who was looking at me somewhat anxiously.

Everyone was engrossed in their individual conversations, feeling relaxed at the seemingly safe haven, but in the back of all of our minds was what happened on the farm.

"Where you been at all morning?" Daryl leaned over and whispered in my ear. I knew what he meant, where had my mind been. It was early afternoon by then and I hadn't said ten words to anyone all day.

"Just thinking," I replied vaguely, not sure how much of my past I was willing to share with Daryl, after all I knew next to nothing about him before all of this. Then again, he already knew more about me than anyone except maybe Rick did, and I had a feeling I knew more about him than anyone here.

"I saw your sketchbook open this morning. Late night drawing?" He asked gesturing to where my belongings were lying in a corner.

"Yeah. Just trying to clear my head a little. A lot of memories around here," I told him honestly. The house was one big reminder of everything I had lost, but in a weird way it was helping me cope, reminding me that those times were still there and nothing could erase my memories, not even the end of the world.

Daryl didn't push for more information and I was thankful for that, for just being able to tell him what was wrong and him not demand more of me. He put a supportive arm around me and I was more than a little surprised by the public gesture, but didn't pull away. I was grateful that at least one person was here for me.

…

Night came quietly, all of us still reeling from the excitement of the last few days. T-Dog was keeping watch now so Daryl and I were in the living room alone, everyone else upstairs getting ready for bed. It was a treat to have a safe place to sleep again. I was leaning against the wall with my sketchbook open, drawing again while Daryl was busy cleaning his arrows. I was studying him in the dim light, recreating him on the blank page and then a small smirk appeared on his lips.

"What?" He asked, putting the bolts down and turning to me.

"Nothing," I said with a blush but was smiling as I shaded in the picture. He stood up and walked over and sat next to me, leaning over to look at the book.

"Hm, getting kind of stalkerish there Walsh," he teased and I smiled even brighter, glad to finally have my mind on something other than the ghosts from my past that had been haunting me all day.

"Don't flatter yourself Dixon. I was just bored," I joked right back, our light banter was familiar and put me at ease. We continued like this for the next half hour before I started yawning and felt my eyes drooping.

"Get some sleep. I'll take next watch," he whispered to me and I was too tired to argue with him. I crawled into the blankets serving as my bed and was asleep instantly.

Unfortunately, the sleep wasn't peaceful. The nightmare was back with a vengance. I was forced to watch my brother dying and crying out for me yet again, not able to stop it. Once the dream ended, I didn't wake up like last time. Instead I was sitting across from Shane in my old apartment.

"Shane?" I asked, confused.

"I was wondering when you would show up. I've been trying to get your attention all day," he said with a half smile and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "How are you doing Addie?"

"What is going on?" I asked. I knew this was a dream, but it felt so real because I wasn't observing the way I had been in the nightmare. No, it was actually me talking and I was deciding what to say. It was strange.

"I've been watching you. Seems like you're doing okay. Or as well as you can be, I guess. Seems like Dixon is helping you. I have to say I wasn't thrilled with the idea of the two of you, I'm still not, but I'm glad you have someone to talk to."

"How is this happening?" I asked, feeling tears prick in the back of my eyes.

"You needed me lil' sister, so I'm here. I'm always here for you. There's a lot I need to say, but I don't have a lot of time so I'll keep it simple. I love you Addie, always will and I want what is best for you. It's okay to mourn me, but you have to move on too, you can't stay angry and sad forever. You're strong Adeline, stronger than anyone I've ever met, stronger than me. You can beat this world, if anyone is going to survive this, it's going to be you. You're going to get out of this and grow old and have a family and tell them all about your crazy life. Don't you dare give up. Ever," he spoke quickly and walked closer to me and once he was done, he wrapped me in a hug and it felt like him. I could smell him and I was crying as I muttered I loved him and a bright light enfolded us both and I woke up in the living room, alone.


	43. Chapter 43

_A/N: Hey guys! I'm back with another (short) chapter. Once again, I'd like to thank all of you for your continued support, we've been on quite a long journey together and I am overwhelmed by how well this story was received, it means so much. Please keep it up and enjoy!_

I was disoriented when I woke up, not sure how much time had passed since I'd closed my eyes. It felt like an eternity since I'd been sitting and joking with Daryl yet my time with Shane, or whatever that was, had been so short. I didn't see anyone else in the room so Daryl must have already taken watch, meaning at least a couple hours had passed. I didn't know where T had gone but I was glad to momentarily be alone with my thoughts. I was visibly shaking, and I couldn't form any coherent thoughts due to the pure fear and confusion littering my brain. It had been Shane, but it couldn't be. Was I going crazy? But whatever it was, Shane had said exactly what I needed to hear. He'd given me the okay to move on, but in some weird way that made it worse because that was the Shane I loved and grew up with, not the one who had killed Otis and hurt me back on the farm. I couldn't be angry with him and he'd been so selfless in the dream or

vision or whatever, that the grief washed over me afresh.

I stood up on wobbly legs and riffled through my stuff until I found Daryl's jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders and headed to the door. I held the knob in my hand for a second, debating on whether or not to tell Daryl about what had happened. I decided not to just yet, not until I had time to work through it myself. I walked outside and the chill washed over me, the fresh air like a slap in the face, taking away the last of the grogginess left over from sleep. Daryl wasn't on the porch and I furrowed my brow in confusion as I looked around.

"Daryl," I called out softly, stepping off the porch with my bare feet. Where was he?

I walked down the street a ways, my heart pounding as I thought about how stupid this was. I had no weapon of any kind if anything happened and how was I ever going to find Daryl anyway. But I kept going, finding serenity in the still November night in my hometown. If I closed my eyes I could just picture the street full of laughing kids and smiling moms and the smell of freshly cut grass and damp leaves. I sighed and opened my eyes, continuing on my path. Maybe Daryl had gone to the edge of the town to do a patrol or something. The pavement was cold and sent a shiver up my spine. I should have grabbed my boots and a gun on the way out.

"Come on Daryl, where are you?" I muttered under my breath about to head back and just wait on the porch for him to return when I heard a moan from my right. I spun around quickly, just in time to see a walker emerging from the trees. "Shit," I whispered, quickly ducking behind some bushes in hopes it wouldn't notice me.

No such luck. It was heading straight for me. I sprung out of the brush and looked around for anything to use as a weapon. I could probably outrun it but I didn't want to lead it back to the house and we needed to take care of it anyway. A rock was the only thing I could find and I knew it was going to be messy but it'd have to do. Even though it was only one, slow moving, walker, my heart was still beating faster and my blood was filled with adrenaline. You couldn't risk getting cocky because one misstep and it was all over.

Once the walker closed the space between us I unleashed a kick to its chest and it fell to the pavement. I sprung on top of him, my knees on his chest with the rock raised above my head. I brought it down and his hands reached for me, his jaws chomping in anticipation for his next meal. Blood splattered me in the face as I brought it down again, narrowly avoiding being grabbed that time. With a grunt, I slammed the rock into his head one last time before he went still. I was covered in blood and I stood up, wiping some of it off my face with the sleeve of my jacket. That had been easier than I expected.

I knew it was dumb to keep moving after that, but now I was a little worried about Daryl so I kept moving, keeping an extra sharp eye out now. I made it to the only bridge in town and saw a familiar shape leaning against it. We were near the edge of the town, this bridge would take us back to the main highway, which fed back onto the interstate.

"Hey," I called out not wanting to be mistaken for a walker. He turned with a jolt of surprise and looked at me.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked in an exasperated tone. I couldn't help the smile on my face as I closed the distance between us and went to lean next to him. The lake was pretty, leaves coating the surface of the frigid, calm, water.

"Couldn't sleep. Was wondering where you got to," I answered and he turned to face me straight on now.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked once he noticed the blood.

"Walker. Just one about two blocks from the house," I told him.

"Damn it. We need to get back," he said, picking up his bow from where it laid on the ground.

I nodded and we started off, walking in comfortable silence. I was wondering what he was doing out there but didn't ask right now. We were both more than a little anxious to get back to the house and make sure everything was okay. We made it back without seeing another walker and all was well, the house was still quiet. I released a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding as we climbed back onto the porch.

"So," I started, deciding it was safe enough to talk now. "What were you doing out there by the lake?" I asked, flopping down on the porch.

He was looking out at the street and cut his eyes to the side to look at me and sent me a smirk. "Nosy much Walsh?" He joked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Just wondering. You know I used to go there a lot when I needed to clear my head," I told him with a shrug. He'd seemed about as absent from today as I had and I was more curious than I was willing to admit what was bothering him. It seemed like I had been opening up to him a lot lately but he hadn't done the same.

"I was just doing a patrol and stopped there for a minute. No big deal," he said and I narrowed my eyes, assessing the truth behind that statement. I stood back up and went to stand next to him, leaning on the porch railing and looking out into the empty streets that had a haunted feeling to them. I wondered if anyone I'd known was still alive. That was a slippery slope to let the mind wander down so I quickly pulled my focus back to the man standing next to me.

"You know you can talk to me, right? I mean, I've been unloading on you all this time, I'm here if you need me," I spoke softly and put a hand on his arm. His eyes went to where my hand was touching him before meeting with mine. I could almost see the walls dropping and I swear he was about to open up, then everything went to hell.

_A/N: Ohh, cliffhanger! What will happen next?_


	44. Chapter 44

_A/N: Sorry guys, I've had some internet problems so I'm updating this as soon as I can. It's kind of short but hopefully it will tie you over for a while. Unfortunately, school starts back on Monday so my writing time might be cut back. I'll update as regularly as I can, I promise that. And since next update will be chapter 45, there will be a special surprise! Anyway, for now please read and review and enjoy!_

Gunshots pierced the quiet air and Daryl and I immediately ducked as the bullets landed all around us. They splintered the wood of the porch and buried themselves into the brick siding of the house. The noise was deafening and I knew everyone in the house had to be awake by now, scrambling to see what was amiss. My heart was pounding in my chest as we sat huddled on opposite sides of the porch. I had no weapon and Daryl only had his crossbow. I peered through the railing of the porch, trying to catch a glimpse of our attackers but they stayed shrouded in the shadows.

"Addie!" Daryl called over the roaring noise. The fire had yet to cease and no one from inside had come out yet, probably fortifying the inside.

"I'm okay," I called back and the bullets stopped. The door swung open and Rick and Glenn stepped outside, ducking quickly so to avoid any stray attacks. Rick came to my side and Glenn to Daryl's. The leader handed me a semi-automatic gun we had scavenged the previous day.

"What happened?" He barked and scanned the area quickly, gun raised.

"No idea," I breathed, barely able to get the words out before more gunfire started up.

"Who the hell are they?" I cried, trying to get a good look. I could see Rick trying to stay calm but this was bad. Whoever it was, they had quite a few people and more than a little firepower.

"Who are you?" Rick yelled into the night once there was another pause. At first I thought they wouldn't reply but then another voice called back to us.

"I think the question is 'who are you?'. This is our town, you need to get out. Now." I cast a glance at Rick whose brow was furrowed in confusion and concentration.

"We found this place," he called back, standing a little but keeping a firm grip on his gun. He gestured for me to stay down. "It was abandoned. Now if you show yourself we can have a calm discussion and work this out," his voice was calm but firm.

"Like I said, this is our town. Get out," finally I saw a figure approaching and tensed. I stayed crouched next to Rick's feet but leveled my gun at the figure in case he posed a threat. A glance to my right showed Daryl and Glenn in similar positions. I was able to begin making out some of his features as he walked closer, flanked by two guys who had guns trained on us. The man in the middle who had been speaking with us was tall, very tall, and had muscles that would put Daryl to shame. He either had brown or black hair, indiscernible in the dark.

"Who are you?" Rick asked him, pointing for Glenn and Daryl to rise but me to stay hidden. I realized they couldn't see me from my corner and I could use that to our advantage if things went sour.

"Rustle Richards. And you are?"

"Rick Grimes," he answered, moving to stand in the middle of the porch and the others moved to flank him, mimicking the formation of the other group.

"Well Rick Grimes, I suggest you pack up and head out before we're forced to fill you with lead," Rustle practically growled.

"We found this place, we have rights to it," Rick argued and I wondered if it was really worth it. I was willing to bet they had at least a half dozen more men waiting in the trees. But this place seemed safe, and that was worth a lot these days.

"I don't think you understand. It's ours. Now I'm giving you a chance to leave here in one piece. I suggest you take it. We were out scouting and came back to find you lot taking over the place," I realized there was a flaw in Rustle's story. We had raided the shops yesterday and they were full. If they had been staying here then they would have cleared them already. The two men fell quiet for a moment, staring one another down and that's when the death groans started. I swore under my breath. The gunfire must have drawn them here, and from the sound of it, there were a lot of them.

I jumped up then and the three men instantly drew their guns on me but didn't shoot, noticing the larger threat of the walkers. With all of us armed, there was no real danger of cutting down the dozen or so walkers. Once they were dispatched, our groups turned on each other once again.

"Rick," I muttered. "Let's just go. It's not worth it," I didn't need to tell him that our group wouldn't get out in one piece if it came down to a fight. These men outnumbered and outgunned us by my estimation. We'd be better off taking our chances back on the road. There were other towns. There had to be. And walkers were here now, between the one I'd seen earlier and the group we'd just killed, I had to believe the stillness of this town was gone. The cold weather was affecting the walkers but they were still here.

"Best listen to her," one of the other guys said. He was blonde haired and blue eyed and would have been attractive if he didn't have scars running down the left side of his face. It looked like something had mauled him, the scars curving to the shape of his face. He had his gun trained on me but I didn't flinch.

"Adeline. Go tell the others to pack up," Rick said evenly, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. There was a glint there. He wasn't willing to leave without a fight but had to think of the others. I hated to admit defeat as much as he did, but we didn't have a choice without knowing what we were up against. A thought came to me then but I was careful to make sure my face gave nothing away as I backed towards the door and stepped inside.

Everyone bombarded me with questions but I silenced them with a stern look. I relayed Rick's message and made sure all of them had a gun before I began heading towards the back door.

"Where are you going?" Lori hissed and I turned to face her.

"I have something to do. Pack up and head out in small groups. Stay behind the others and don't let them notice I'm not there. At least one of you wait here until I get back," I instructed and walked out without another word, shutting the door silently behind me. I crept around the side of the house and used the trees as cover as I made my way around the block to come up behind where I could only assume the rest of this group was assembled. I kept my steps light; trying to think of what Daryl did when he was tracking to stay silent. Needless to say I lacked his grace but I did a decent job of masking my steps. When I reached the spot, I could make out figures huddled in the dark and knelt in a bush to listen. I counted eight guys but I couldn't be sure if there were more I couldn't see. So that totaled eleven with the three back at the house. They were all mumbling but it was inaudible to me from my spot across the street.

At least now we had an idea of their forces and it was definitely too large to fight without suffering casualties and I couldn't imagine losing anyone else right now. I got ready to turn and leave when I heard a twig snap behind me. I spun around and there was a gun pointed right at my head.


	45. Chapter 45

Hey guys! I haven't abandoned you I swear! I had internet problems all last week and as soon as they got sorted out, my computer decided to freak out. But I'm up and running again and will start pumping out updates as soon as I can!


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